Distress Sale Of Chicken: Odisha Quashes Rumours Linking Poultry Products With Coronavirus

Bhubaneswar/Balasore: The Coronavirus scare has killed Odisha’s appetite for chickens. With people avoiding eggs and chickens, the price broiler has crashed.

Desperate poultry farmers in various parts of the state are selling a kg of live chicken for as low as Rs 10 amid rumours linking its consumption with the COVID-19.

To contain spread of such misinformation on social media, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services has issued an advisory, stating that it is safe to consume poultry and poultry products.

“So far, it has been noticed that the predominant route of transmission of novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) appears to be human interaction. The virus is transmitted through
human to human as per World Animal Health Organisation (OIE), though 2019-nCov
might have animal source. So far, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that
Corona virus (2019-nCov) can be transmitted by consuming chicken, egg or other
poultry products,” it said.

It further said that no reports currently available globally indicate links between poultry and transmission of coronavirus to humans.

“Similar viral outbreaks of corona virus in the past (SARS 2002-03, MERS 2012-13) or corona associated common cold had no involvement of poultry or poultry products world over,” it said.

With the present knowledge available on COVID-19, consumption of Indian poultry and poultry products including egg may be considered safe, it added.

The advisory, however, stresses general hygiene practices when handling poultry and poultry products. These include washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub and cleaning surfaces often, separating raw meat from other foods and cooking them thoroughly.