Under normal circumstances, ordinary urban inhabitants are safe from exposure to HPAI because the unprocessed poultry and poultry products available in the marketplaces are strictly inspected. Quarantine procedures operated by the veterinary health departments ensure infected poultry etc does not reach the market. Hence HPAI doesn't pose a major direct threat to the general urban public. What's more, cooked poultry and poultry products are all processed through boiling, barbecuing or other means before being supplied to the public so completely destroying any viruses.
(China.org.cn February 13, 2004)
