Chennai, February 10 Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian advised people against consuming undercooked chicken on Tuesday, amid concerns over avian influenza in the state.
He said that poultry that dies from illness should not be consumed and must be buried to prevent the spread of infection.
"I did not say not to eat half-boiled eggs; I only said do not consume half-boiled or undercooked chicken," the minister clarified while speaking at the inauguration of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory built at Rs 8 crore at Omandurar Government Multi-Division High Speciality Hospital here.
The discovery of a large number of dead crows in Chennai and other parts of the state had triggered public panic over a possible bird flu outbreak.
At the event, the minister said that a section of the media had misinterpreted his advice as referring to "half-boiled eggs".
He added that chicken meat should always be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
