As farms across California battle bird flu outbreaks, you may be wondering: Is your Christmas dinner safe to eat?
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Since highly pathogenic avian influenza surfaced in the United States in January 2022, the virus has been detected in wild birds and domestic poultry, according to the Fresno Bee’s previous reporting.
More than 4 million chickens and turkeys have been killed at poultry ranches across the state in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading.
Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of the state’s 1,100 dairies were being quarantined due to bird flu, including Raw Farm dairy in Fresno County, prompting recalls of raw milk.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in response to the spike in avian flu cases, the same day the U.S. Centers for Disease Control confirmed a person in Louisiana had been hospitalized with a ‘‘severe’’ case of the disease.
The Fresno Bee talked to Jesus Garcia, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, to learn more about the virus and how it affects food safety.
What is bird flu?
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, highly pathogenic avian influenza — also known as bird flu or H5N1 — is a highly contagious and often deadly disease primarily found in poultry.
It is “caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5) and A (H7) viruses,” the agency said on its website.
HPAI can spread from wild birds to domestic poultry and other animals. The virus can also infect humans in rare cases.
How is avian flu spread to humans?
Unlike seasonal influenza viruses, which are typically contracted through human-to-human transmission, avian influenza viruses are spread by infected birds through saliva, mucus and feces, according to the CDC.
The virus can also be present in the respiratory secretions, organs, blood, or body fluids of other infected animals — including milk.
Human infections occur when the virus enters the eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled through airborne droplets, aerosol particles or dust. It can also be transmitted by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the face.
“Illness in humans from avian influenza virus infections have ranged in severity from no symptoms or mild illness to severe disease that resulted in death,” the CDC said.
Can I get bird flu from eating turkey?
“Consumers can safely enjoy turkey this holiday season,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in an email to The Bee, noting that food safety inspectors examine turkeys for disease “before and after slaughter.”
That includes your Christmas bird.
“The turkeys from farms with confirmed avian influenza don’t even get sent to slaughter,” Soledad said. “They are destroyed on premises.”
During an avian flu outbreak, “The chance of infected poultry or eggs entering the food chain is low,” the FDA said on its website in April, “because of the rapid onset of symptoms in poultry as well as the safeguards in place, which include testing of flocks and federal inspection programs.”
“When food is properly prepared and stored, the risk of consumers becoming infected with HPAI is reduced even further,” the FDA said.
What about ham?
According to the USDA, ham is safe to consume this holiday season.
“All pigs presented for slaughter are observed to ensure they are healthy, then their carcasses and organs are again inspected for any signs of illness, and finally, the final processed product receives a stamp of approval,” the agency said in an emailed statement. “All these assurances happen before the meat goes into the retail market.”
“Highly pathogenic avian influenza … has not been found in commercial pigs,” the USDA said.
What’s the safest way to prepare turkey?
UC Davis professor Linda J. Harris, who focuses on microbial food safety, says you should prepare your turkey using four essential steps: clean, cook, chill and separate.
Clean: Wash your hands, wash utensils and surfaces after each use. Wash fruits and vegetables.
Cook: Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick.
Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours.
Separate: Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce, meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.
You can watch the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Holiday Food Safety video for tips on how to prepare a turkey the safe way, or check out the turkey recipe developed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a nonprofit organization that works to reduce food-borne illness risks.
According to the USDA, any traces of highly pathogenic avian influenza in your turkey are inactivated when food reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
The USDA recommends following this rule anytime you’re preparing raw poultry, including chicken.
On its food safety website, the USDA has videos and information including calculators that help you determine how long to thaw and cook your turkey.
What’s the safest way to prepare ham?
To determine the safest way to prepare ham, start by checking the package for instructions, including whether the ham is ready to eat or still needs to be cooked.
Raw hams should be cooked until the internal temperature reaches at least 145 degree and let it rest for at least three minutes, Garcia said.
“This temperature will inactivate the virus,” the USDA said in its statement.
Ready-to-eat hams, including “cooked vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold just as they come from their packaging,” Garcia said.
“If you want to reheat these cooked hams,” he added, “set the oven no lower than 325 degrees and heat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees as measured with a food thermometer.”
If you’re planning to leave the ham out for multiple hours, make sure to keep it out of the “Danger Zone” — temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees, Garcia said.
You can keep foods cold by keeping dishes in bowls of ice. Trays of hot foods can be kept in the oven or heated using warming trays, chafing dishes or slow cookers.
When perishable food is kept without heat or cold sources for too long, bacteria multiplies to levels that are unsafe, he said. This can cause food-borne illness.
According to Garcia, ham should be discarded if left out for longer than two hours in the Danger Zone.
The USDA’s food safety website has information for how to cook safely and store ham. You can also call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854.
What about leftovers?
Garcia recommends placing leftovers in small containers within two hours after being served.
“Make sure to carve your ham into small portions so portions can chill quickly when stored in the refrigerator,” Garcia said. “Ham can safely remain in the refrigerator for up to four days.”
After that, he added, you must eat, throw away or freeze your leftovers.
Reheat all leftovers to 165 degrees.
Can I get bird flu by drinking or cooking with milk?
“There is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted to humans through properly prepared food,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on its website.
Pasteurized milk and other dairy products are safe to consume and cook with, according to Hebah Ghanem, infectious disease specialist at University of California San Francisco, Fresno.
“The most important thing that it has to be pasteurized, because the virus is killed with heat,” Ghanem told The Bee.
Will eating eggs make me sick?
All egg products are pasteurized as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“This means that they have been rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temperature for a specified time to destroy bacteria,” the agency said.
However, eggs that are still in their shells aren’t required to be pasteurized, leading to potential health risks if eaten raw or uncooked.
What are avian flu symptoms?
According to the CDC, avian flu symptoms in humans may include:
Fever or feeling feverish or chills
Eye redness or irritation
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuff nose
Muscle or body aches
Headaches
Tiredness
What’s the best way to avoid the virus?
To prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, people should avoid exposure to dead animals, Ghanem previously told The Bee. That includes wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds and cows.
People should also avoid exposure to animal feces as well as fluids.
Here are other tips from Ghanem:
Wash your hands
Avoid contaminated surfaces and any other material that has been touched or is close to the infected animal
Don’t drink raw milk.
Eat pasteurized cheese.
Monitor yourself for symptoms
Get the flu vaccine
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