Guideline / position statementindependent cross-checkfull text checked I-CHK-130 standard review
WHO: chicken is a major Campylobacter source; cooking kills it
WHO fact sheet: Campylobacter (1 May 2020)
Overview
World Health Organization. WHO fact sheet 2020
WHO names undercooked poultry as a major source and says thorough cooking kills the bacteria.
Does the study support the specific claim? Yes · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
What is campylobacteriosis, how is it transmitted and prevented?
- How was the study done?
Agency fact sheet
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
not applicable
- What was actually found?
Campylobacter is 'the most common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in the world'; 'consumption of undercooked contaminated poultry is believed to be a major contributor'; 'Campylobacter species can be killed by heat and thoroughly cooking food'; heating, pasteurisation or irradiation is 'the only effective method of eliminating Campylobacter from contaminated foods'; infections can be fatal among very young children, elderly and immunosuppressed people.
- How large was the observed effect?
Campylobacter is 'the most common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in the world'; 'consumption of undercooked contaminated poultry is believed to be a major contributor'; 'Campylobacter species can be killed by heat and thoroughly cooking food'; heating, pasteurisation or irradiation is 'the only effective method of eliminating Campylobacter from contaminated foods'; infections can be fatal among very young children, elderly and immunosuppressed people.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Handle raw chicken carefully and cook it through.
- What are the study's limitations?
Fact sheet from 2020
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Supports the claim and the safety note.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Global.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Not quantitative.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- World Health Organization
- Journal
- WHO fact sheet
- Year
- 2020
- Identifier
- Verification
- verified – Page fetched (curl) 2026-10-26
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- full text
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract
2. Research question
What is campylobacteriosis, how is it transmitted and prevented?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Guideline / position statement – Agency fact sheet
- Population
General population
- Country
global
- Period
2020
- Sample size
not applicable
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
as described in the abstract
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Undercooked poultry and other sources
- Comparator
not applicable
- Endpoints
Transmission, prevention
- Statistical methods
as reported in the abstract
5. Actual results
- Results
Campylobacter is 'the most common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in the world'; 'consumption of undercooked contaminated poultry is believed to be a major contributor'; 'Campylobacter species can be killed by heat and thoroughly cooking food'; heating, pasteurisation or irradiation is 'the only effective method of eliminating Campylobacter from contaminated foods'; infections can be fatal among very young children, elderly and immunosuppressed people.
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Basic food hygiene prevents infection.
6. Strengths
- Authoritative agency
7. Weaknesses
- Fact sheet from 2020
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- not assessable
- Rationale
Agency statement.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Not applicable.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Agency position on poultry as Campylobacter source and on prevention by cooking.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
13. Overall methodological judgement
WHO names undercooked poultry as a major source and says thorough cooking kills the bacteria.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | unknown |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Chicken carries Campylobacter and Salmonella, which cause human infections. – Studies supporting the claim