- FDA has detected the presence of avian flu virus dairy Milk.
- Commercially available milk products are still considered safe for consumers because they have been pasteurized.
- Raw milk products may contain the avian flu virus, among other dangers.
Avian influenza or bird flu has been found in dairy milk in the United States, but the FDA has indicated that the disease is unlikely to cause illness in humans.
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This disease, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is very contagious and often fatal in poultry, but, despite its name, it is not easily transmissible to humans, although some infections have occurred. .
The FDA has said that despite the detection of bird flu in raw milk, as well as traces of the H5N1 virus in milk sold at grocery stores, commercial dairy products are still safe for consumption because almost all of them ( 99%) have been affected by this virus.
However, the virus may be present in raw milk products that the organization has
William SchaffnerMD, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, agrees with the FDA’s assessment that transmission of the disease is unlikely, especially through milk.
“This is a virus that does not have the genetic ability to be transmitted from one person to another. And this virus has been present in bird populations around the world for a decade, and it still hasn’t acquired this ability,” he told Healthline.
“I have a cup of coffee with milk in my hand. I put milk in my oatmeal. I wasn’t worried about it,” he said.
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Despite being found in dairy cows, to date, regulators and public health entities are aware of only two cases of HPAI transmission to humans.
In early April, the C.D.C.
Diseases that spread between animals and humans are called
Transmission can also occur between animals of different species, such as birds and cows.
“When wild birds come out on their migratory path to drink water and feed, they can actually expel the virus in their saliva, their urine and their feces, and put it into the environment in a way that it Can occasionally enter mammals. ,” Schaffner said.
From there, it can easily spread into feedlots and, in this case, into the milk supply.
“Not surprisingly, in a herd that is close to each other, where there is a lot of cow saliva and urine and feces, it can spread between cows,” he said.
Although HPAI virus particles have been found in pasteurized milk, the risk of transmission of HPAI is extremely low, but it may be possible in raw milk.
“The FDA has no concerns that our milk supply is contaminated and there is no health risk or concern for consumers at this time.” joseph lambsonPharmD, director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center and assistant professor at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, told Healthline.
“They still strongly urge against using raw milk or products that use raw milk, for the same concerns they have been saying for years, which is that you are at increased risk of infection. And so you can certainly add this highly virulent form of avian flu to that list,” Lambson said.
The FDA warns that raw milk may contain dangerous pathogens, including Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter.
Commercially available milk undergoes pasteurization, which is a process in which milk is heated and then cooled to destroy pathogens. This process has been used on milk for public health purposes in the United States for over one hundred years.
“If you are moving milk products from one state to another pasteurization is required by the FDA. They have to follow a specific temperature and time. This should eliminate the virus. So the inactivated virus may be in the milk, but it won’t be able to replicate, so you can drink it safely,” he said. Sylvia Le, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Viral fragments may remain in milk after pasteurization but are not considered a threat to consumer health.
Additionally, the FDA and USDA have stated that milk from sick cows is being actively removed from the food supply.
Lambson encourages anyone concerned that they may have consumed a contaminated product to contact their poison control center, where they can get medical advice about symptoms and whether they should seek medical attention. Should treatment be taken or not?
“Additionally, it also helps for surveillance purposes to see if we have increased risk,” he said.
The FDA has discovered the presence of avian influenza in dairy milk.
Regulators have warned that the risk of contamination in commercial milk due to pasteurization is negligible. However, the virus may be present in raw milk.
There have been only two known cases of recent transmission of the virus to humans.
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