Do not eat raw eggs or dip cooked food into any sauce containing raw eggs. Eggs should be cooked until the white and yolk become firm. Poultry should be cooked thoroughly. The centre of the poultry should reach 70°C continuously for at least two minutes during cooking. If there are pinkish juices running from the cooked poultry or the middle part of its bone is still red in colour, the poultry should be cooked again until fully done.

In addition to what was said above, do not eat raw or soft-boiled eggs nor utilize them uncooked in food preparations. Cook all poultry thoroughly using a food thermometer to ensure that poultry reaches at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggs should be cooked solid throughout. Eggs, hands, knives, cutting boards and all counter tops may be washed with soapy water and sanitized with a solution of one-teaspoon chlorine bleach in a quart of water. http://www.fsis.usda.gov.

There is no evidence that avian influenza can be transmitted through eating poultry or eggs. However, make sure poultry and eggs have been thoroughly cooked.

The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70oC in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no "pink" parts) and that eggs, too, are properly cooked (no "runny" yolks). Consumers should also be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry and poultry products should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw.

Yes, eating properly cooked poultry, as well as eggs, is safe. The U.S. government has banned imported poultry from countries affected by bird flu. At the present time, bird flu is not present in the U.S. For protection against many types of food borne diseases, such as Salmonella, all poultry should be cooked to 165? F or hotter. Cooking also destroys flu viruses.

There is no evidence to suggest that you can become infected by eating properly cooked poultry and eggs. Proper handling and cooking of poultry provides protection against this virus, as it does against many viruses and bacteria, including Salmonella and E.coli. Safe food handling and preparation is important at all times.

It is typically recommended that you not drink fluids and eat a meal at the same time. There should be a gap between drinking fluids and eating.

It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked chicken and other poultry (turkey, ducks, etc.) products. Even if poultry and eggs were to be contaminated with the avian virus, proper cooking would kill it. You should follow these guidelines when cooking poultry:

There is no evidence that properly cooked poultry or eggs can be a source of infection for avian influenza viruses. For more information about avian influenza and food safety issues, visit the World Health Organization website. The U.S. government carefully controls domestic and imported food products, and in 2004 issued a ban on importation of poultry from countries affected by avian influenza viruses, including the H5N1 strain. This ban still is in place.

Female chickens raised to lay eggs on factory farms live their entire lives in wire cages stacked upon one another. They are packed so tightly together that each hen has only a space about the size of a standard sheet of paper, not even enough room to lift her wings. Confined tightly their entire lives, the chickens often lose most of their feathers rubbing against the wire cage walls.

This is a common habit with some chooks and is difficult to break once it gets established. Usually only one chook starts breaking the eggs but of course, the others soon get the taste for it once they see how it is done. There are a number of remedies, some or all or none of which may work. Before you try any of these, often feeding a liberal amount of shell grit to the birds will solve the problem. If not, read on... Remedy 1.

Studies show that your body cannot absorb more cholesterol (414 mg) than is two eggs. The body has a feedback system so that the more cholesterol you eat, the less you manufacture. And three-fourths of your body's cholesterol comes from what you manufacture yourself, usually from dietary carbohydrates. However, in actual practice, cutting out carbohydrates from your diet will lower cholesterol significantly.

There have been no reported human cases of AI contracted from poultry or egg consumption. Nevertheless, best practices during handling of raw poultry meat and usual recommended cooking practices for poultry products should be followed to lower the risk of common bacterial diseases spread by poor handling and cooking techniques. Eggs from infected poultry could also be contaminated with the virus and therefore care should be taken in handling shell eggs or raw egg products.

America's food is among the safest in the world. But bacteria are everywhere, including on food, like meat, poultry, and egg products. If food isn't handled safely, harmful bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels and make people sick. There are four key safe food handling steps promoted under a national educational campaign by the Partnership for Food Safety Education called Fight BAC!®. These steps include: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. Cook" is one of the key steps.