The US Department of Agriculture has announced it will begin testing the country’s milk supply for H5N1, the virus that causes avian influenza. The move comes as cases of bird flu have ticked up over the past year, with more than 700 dairy herds affected and at least 58 people sickened.
Testing will focus on large storage tanks at dairy processing facilities, which typically pool milk from many farms before it’s pasteurized. Farmers and processors will be required to provide milk samples if requested by the government.
The goal of testing is to understand how the virus is spreading between cows and farms, as well as to protect farm workers from exposure. However, experts warn that consuming raw or unpasteurized dairy products can still pose health risks, including salmonella, listeria, and campylobacter.
While no human cases of avian flu have been linked to drinking raw milk, the virus has been found in high concentrations in cow’s milk, which may explain why it’s spreading between animals. The virus can survive in refrigerated, unpasteurized milk for up to five weeks.
Federal health agencies assure that pasteurized milk is safe, but experts caution against consuming raw or unpasteurized dairy products due to the risk of transmission.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/well/bird-flu-milk.html