One In Five Milk Samples From Across U.S. Had Traces Of Bird Flu Virus

One of five samples of milk collected from store shelves across the country contained traces of the bird flu virus, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday, highlighting the extent of the issue just days after the agency said it found remnants of H5N1 in some retail samples. As of Thursday night, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has detected 33 dairy cow herds with bird flu infections across eight states-Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Michigan, Idaho, North Carolina, South Dakota and Ohio. However, the FDA’s latest findings suggest the extent of the infections could be significantly higher-something scientists and health experts have warned about. On Wednesday, USDA issued an order mandating bird flu tests for dairy cattle before they are transported between two states. The agency will also reimburse dairy farmers for conducting tests on their livestock, including asymptomatic animals. The FDA first reported finding remnants of the bird flu virus in pasteurized milk samples earlier this week. The agency said the viral traces did not pose a threat to consumers as pasteurization-the process of heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period-kills harmful bacteria and viruses. The agency also reiterated its warning against consuming raw unpasteurized milk noting there was limited information available about the H5N1 virus transmitting through raw milk. While H5N1 has been detected in livestock, the CDC says the risk of spread to humans remains low. So far only two cases of H5N1 infections have been reported in the U. S., including one person in Texas earlier this month and another individual in Colorado in 2022. Bird Flu Virus Remnants Found In U. S. Milk Supply-FDA Says Milk Remains Safe (Forbes)
All data is taken from the source: forbes.com
Article Link: www.forbes.com/sites/siladity...
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