FROM CHICKEN TO HUMAN
There are some diseases that people can get from chicken or chicken products like eggs. People need to be careful with eggs and other chicken   products because they might have a disease likeSalmonella.  When the egg comes out  of the hen it needs to be washed quickly and thoroughly to get ride of any waste matter from the mother. Just like meat, eggs should be cooked completely to kill any germs that might infect the person that eats it. In addition to disease that people get from chicken as food, some diseases such as avian flu can spread to humans from live chicken.

Here are some diseases you should really watch out for :

 SALMONELLOSIS

Salmonella is probably the most common disease you can get from eating eggs. Chicken eggs become infected before the shell is created during incubation. The bacteria was in hen's body! This disease is called by bacteria called Salmonella enteritis which can be find inside raw eggs. The problem is that eggs look fine, you really can't tell that it is infected.
Disease is spread by eating eggs that have this bacteria. If you ate an infected egg you will get really sick in a day or two. This means diarrhea, vomiting, and high temperature.  This can get so bad that people can dehydrate and have to go to hospital. It's even worse in kids. Salmonella can be treated with antibiotic and lots of liquids. According to CDC, 1 in 50 people in the USA eat eggs that have salmonella in the !

You may think that eating eggs is dangerous but that is really not true. If you handle eggs appropriately, you will be safe.

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Listeria monocytogenes

Have you checked the date on your eggs or chicken. When you buy food in the store make sure to check the date on the container. Listeria monocytogenes is a microorganism that can cause serious food poisoning. Most often people get infected when they eat products whose date to use is passes. It can also grow quickly when the food is not refrigerated. Most of the time heat kills this microorganism, so it is important to cook eggs and chicken fully.
  CAMPYLOBACTER ENTERITIS

This is a fancy name for something quite common - food poisoning. This type of food poisoning is caused by bacteria called Campylobacter jejuni. You can get this from eating undercooked chicken meat. This is why it is important to always cook chicken completely.
If you get infected, you will probably suffer cramps, diarrhea for at least a week. There is no medicine for this disease. Instead you should drink a lot of fluids so you do not dehydrate and suffer until it is gone. Always check your chicken before you bite into it. Heat kills these bacteria, so the best way to prevent it is to make sure you cooked your chicken.

Campylobacter jejuni
Photo courtesy of CDC




  Staphylococcus aureus

This bacteria can cause disease in human. Infected people can have high temperature and vomiting. Usually disease spreads by hands. One of the greatest sources of these bacteria are food, like chicken, that is not refrigerated. Also, food that is made with hands and uncooked, like chicken salad can easily infect people.


In addition to those diseases there are several other diseases that you can get by eating raw eggs or undercooked chicken. In addition, the avian flu has recently spread around the world. This is a disease that is spread by a virus from chicken and other poultry to humans. Initially, it affected only people who were in contact with chicken, but more and more the disease is spreading to those not in direct contact. Avian flu could be for chicken what mad cow disease is for cows and beef industry.
To learn more about this deadly disease visit our Issues page or go directly to our AVIAN FLU page.