Avian flu has still not mutated so that it can spread from human to human.? In fact, avain flu has infected a little over 100 people since 1997 and has not mutated.? Though the severity of the H5N1 strain is undeniable in humans, birds frequently carry it in their intestines without significant illness.? The only way that people have gotten the flu so far is from handling infected birds or raw and/or eating partially cooked birds or their blood.? The World Health Organization has five keys for avoiding avian flu and foodborne diseases in general.
5 Keys to Safer Food and the Bringing Food Safety Home
keep clean (wash your hands thoroughly)
separate raw and cooked food
cook food thoroughly
keep food at safe temperatures (refrigerate raw poultry)
use safe water and raw materials
It almost seems silly to have to say it but staying healthy at this point requires simple hygienic measures.? Someday in the future we may need to be worried about avian flu spreading from person to person.? Who's to say that the mutation won't render the particular H5N1 strain harmless?? No one knows exactly what to expect.? I think that it is likely that we'll still need to take care of our health through immune-boosting strategies like those listed in the previous note.? The news seems to point to the need for better cleanliness to control the flu outbreaks, not more drugs!
