Avian Flu
 

We will be leaving mid-December for Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia and have some questions re avian flu. In checking the cdc website and tapping into message boards, we know to avoid any place with a high bird concentration and to stay clear of their droppings. Our concern is diet. Is cooked chicken a no no in restaurants? Thank you.

i would eat it in any decent restaurant, but not in street restaurants....i believe you have to have bird contact...

unless you intend to have a cocktail and a very close conversation with a chick(like in chicken), you have nothing to worry about. a cooked chicken does not carry the avian flu. listen to roberto, he knows whats going on.

We recently returned from a 3.5 week trip to the same area. We planned to avoid chickens but discovered that they are everywhere--countryside, cities, villages. Get enough Tamiflu to start prophylaxis/treatment if a pandemic occurs. Don't worry about food, it is fantastic.

Eat on the streets too. Most hotels are just as likely to be as unhygienic. Don't worry about bird flu it's really a non issue when compared to malaria etc.

As Sid and other have said, it need to be kept in perspective. Because Malaria has been around across much of the tropics for so long it is to an extent 'ignored'. You can also get Dengue Fever from Mossies and a friend really suffered, but Bird Flu is in the news so it gets all the hype. Better spend your time ensuring against other illnesses, get those jabs as recommended by your medical center or Doctor. Amazing how many people forget something as basic as Tetanus jab!, and that should apply wherever in the world you are whether on travels or not.

Bird flu is only passed orally, as our doctor said: "do not kiss chicken on the lips" . When it is cooked, the virus if exists is destroyed under high temp. You can eat cooked chicken. There are notes in most restaurants which says that chicken is cooked under high temps for your protection.

As previous posters said, get all vacations - hepatatis A and B and most important, typhoid shot.

Enjoy your travel.