The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that traces of Bird Flu have been found in commercial milk but claims it is safe to drink anyway.
The FDA, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is still investigating the contaminated milk.
Though the investigation is ongoing, the agencies said it is believed to be safe for human consumption.
“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said in an update on Tuesday, citing “the pasteurization process” and “the diversion or destruction of milk from sick cows.”
The FDA update explained, “As noted by USDA and some press reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, the presence of the virus has been detected in raw milk. Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles. Therefore, some of the samples collected have indicated the presence of HPAI using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing.”
However, the FDA is warning against consuming raw milk.
“The FDA has a long-standing recommendation to consumers not to consume raw milk (milk that has not been pasteurized). Because of the limited information available about the possible transmission of H5N1 virus via raw milk, the FDA continues to recommend that industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products, including raw milk cheese, made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza viruses or exposed to those infected with avian influenza viruses.”
Dairy cows in Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and South Dakota have tested positive for the Type A H5N1 virus.
The Hill reports:
While the virus has caused mass deaths in wild bird and other animal populations – even killing thousands of sea lions in South America – the most common symptoms in dairy cows have included decreased lactation and low appetite, according to the FDA.
Two people in U.S. have been infected with bird flu to date. A Texas dairy worker who was in close contact with an infected cow recently developed a mild eye infection and has recovered. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he also recovered.
Federal officials say they continue to confirm the effectiveness of pasteurization as they test milk at various steps in the production process, including samples from store shelves.
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