(NAPSA)—News about avian influenza—often called bird flu— is everywhere these days. But American consumers needn’t worry. Experts at the American Meat Institute in Washington, D.C., say they can continue to enjoy their meals with confidence because U.S. poultry is among the healthiest and safest in the world. “Multi-Firewall” Strategy Protects U.S. Poultry Multiple U.S. “firewalls” are in place to prevent the high pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus now making news from crossing our borders—and to detect, con- tain and destroy it rapidly if it does occur here. They include: Import controls. Americans consume poultry from North America. Strict import restrictions prohibit imports of poultry from nations with the high pathogenic H5N1 virus. Surveillance. The U.S. government and industry have ageressive surveillance programs in place that aim to detect the virus if it does enter the U.S. This surveillance is currently on “high alert.” Target and destroy. If the virus were to occur here, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would U.S. poultry is safe. Multiple firewalls protect U.S. poultry from avian influenza. Americans rarely comeinto contact with live poultry and those who work in poultry facilities receive special training. Together, U.S. firewalls and secure production systems have helped keep the U.S. free of the high pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strain. No Food Safety Issue Leading animal health experts say that the chance of an infected bird entering the food supply is vir- tually zero. Poultry that do become infected are detected through sur- veillance or become noticeably sick and cannot survive transportation to a processing plant. All birds that do arrive at plants undergo health screening by federal veterinarians, isolate and humanely destroy making the chance of infected U.S. poultry is produced in extremely low, according to the U.S. Department ofAgriculture. Consumers should be reas- affected flocks. U.S. Production Methods Different secure farms where bio-security is poultry entering the food system sured, however, that ordinary safe the top priority. These controlled systems protect poultry from a handling practices—like hand- their health. In some regions of the world, however, communityraised poultry can move through towns andstreets freely and come oughly as measured with a thermometer—destroy viruses like avian influenza in the same way they destroy bacteria. Experts say unequivocally that properly cooked and handled poultry products do not pose a risk of avian influenza. host of viruses that can threaten into contact with each other and with people. As a result, the high pathogenic HS5N1 virus has spread rapidly from bird to bird and in some extremecases, to peo- ple who have comeinto close contact with live birds. washing, separating raw and cooked foods and cooking thor- For more information about safe food handling and avian influenza, visit www.poultry safety.org.
