US Government Allows Americans To Eat Bird Flu-Infected Poultry

Fears Over Bird Flu Lead To International Bans On Poultry From Nebraska

So far Russia, Japan, the Philippines and Turkey have banned poultry originating in Nebraska. The ban is described as "short-term". A flock of turkeys from Nebraska tested positive to a mild strain of bird flu. Of course, if more flocks are found to be infected, the import ban will continue in those countries, and more countries are then likely to also ban the poultry.

From the IHT :

Deputy (Nebraska) state veterinarian Del Wilmot said Wednesday that the flock shows no sign of illness and was being prepared for slaughter and entry into the food supply.

...officials in the four countries are taking no chances. Wilmot said those countries have barred all poultry and related products, such as eggs, coming from Nebraska.

"This ban and other emergency measures were necessary to protect human health and the poultry industry in the Philippines," Arthur Yap, agriculture secretary for the Southeast Asian country, said in a news release issued Tuesday.

The Philippines is among three countries in Asia — the area with the greatest number human cases — to remain free of bird flu since 2003.

Karen Eggert, with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said the department has no qualms about sending the Seward County turkeys into the U.S. food supply.

To recap, Russia, Japan, the Philippines and Turkey have decided to ban Nebraskan poultry infected with a "mild" strain of bird flu.

But the American government doesn't believe bird flu can be caught from eating infected poultry meat or eggs and therefore has decided to allow infected poultry meat to enter the American food supply.

It's surprising the World Health Organisation has said nothing about this, so far.