State plays safe on Centre’s ‘70 deg C for 3 secs formula’

Nagpur: A communication to the state’s animal husbandry department from the Centre mentions that heating poultry meat or eggs for just three seconds at 70 degrees Celsius is enough to kill the avian flu virus. This has gone to the departments in other states too, said sources.
Even as it was also meant to be spread as general awareness, officials want to be on safer side so that the three second theory is not misunderstood by taking it literally.
The communication based on scientific evidence was sent to the state’s animal husbandry department over a couple of days ago. Sources say this was to stress that the virus is so fragile that it could be easily killed by heating the meat or eggs at 70 degrees for three seconds.
Since the scare began, the department has been issuing daily reports on birds’ deaths and results from the National Institute of High Security Diseases (NISHAD), at Bhopal. The release also regularly mentions that it is perfectly safe to eat cooked meat or eggs boiled at 70 degrees Celsius.
The Monday’s release which also had these lines also mentioned that avian flu virus gets inactivated at a temperature of 70 degrees in three seconds.
“However, this must be taken in the right sense. It means that the virus should come into contact with heat for three seconds. Suppose the virus is in the inner core of the egg then heat must reach till there. This applies for meat also,” said an official.
Considering this on Tuesday the release simply mentioned that properly cooked chicken and boiled eggs are safe for human consumption. The release also appeals people to not consume half cooked meat or eggs.
This will ensure that the consumers to do not remain rest assured and properly heat the food, a source said.
The scare has taken a major toll on the industry. The rates of live birds have come down to Rs40 a kg. Farmers say it needs to be at least Rs80 to meet the expenses.
After samples from farms near Butibori and Gadchiroli tested positive, more poultry deaths were reported on Wednesday.
The two were the first cases of avian flu reported in the region. The birds and eggs of the farms have been culled.
At the same time samples from the farm in Lingta village in Yavatmal where over 900 birds have died, tested negative, said officials in the department. “Samples of other farms in the region too have tested negative,” said a senior official.
Reports of the samples taken from another farm in Yavatmal where 3,700 birds have died are awaited.
On Wednesday, Amravati reported 50 poultry deaths apart from 96 and 102 in Nagpur and Wardha districts respectively.