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The USDA (US Department of Agriculture) has released a 186-page draft report on the its risk assessment on the consumption of poultry and egg products that may have been contaminated by avian flu viruses.
The USDA is seeking public comment through January 31st.
The report admits that even with surveillance, it is conceivable that a small percentage of exposed or infected poultry and egg products could enter the human food chain here in the United States.
From the report's Executive Summary (reparagraphed for readability):
Although unlikely, the risk assessment demonstrates that some amount of HPAIV-contaminated poultry and shell eggs could enter commerce.
The data indicate that there is a 3.5- or 6-day window during which potentially HPAIV-positive poultry or shell eggs, respectively, could escape detection.
The model predicts that consumption of HPAIV-contaminated poultry and shell eggs poses a negligible risk if properly cooked. At the same time, data suggest that some people will undercook these products and could become exposed and possibly ill.
Lisa Schnirring of CIDRAP News brings us a more thorough overview of the report's contents. As always, CIDRAP (Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) reporting is worth reading in its entirety.
USDA drafts avian flu risk assessment for poultry and egg products
Lisa Schnirring
Staff Writer
Dec 3, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) yesterday released a draft of its risk assessment for contracting highly pathogenic avian influenza from eating poultry products, shell eggs, and egg products, a tool that could be used to reduce human illness from the virus and help target messages to consumers.
In releasing the risk-assessment draft, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said it was seeking public comments, which are due by Jan 31. The 186-page report and information on how to submit comments are available on the FSIS Web site (see link at end).
The draft risk assessment, which addresses highly pathogenic H5 and H7 subtypes, was developed by representatives from the FSIS, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the Food and Drug Administration, according to a press release yesterday from the USDA. The document went through an external peer review, along with reviews by other government agencies, the USDA said.
So far there has been no compelling evidence that links eating cooked poultry, eggs, or egg products to avian influenza infections in humans, the draft report said. Though the viruses aren't considered foodborne pathogens, researchers have isolated them from poultry muscle and egg interiors.
(Continue Reading . . . )
FROM THE USDA RISK ASSESSMENTS PAGE
AVIAN INFLUENZA
Draft Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV) in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products (Nov 2008)
- Executive Summary (PDF)
- Report (PDF; 1.8mb)
- Response to Peer Review Comments (PDF; 4.2mb)
- Models
- Shell Eggs Model (XLS; 1.7mb)
- Poultry Model (XLS; 2.3mb)
- Federal Register Notice (Dec 2008)
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