An outbreak of bird flu in U.S. dairy cows has grown to affect more than two dozen herds in eight states, just weeks after the country’s largest egg producer detected the virus in its chickens.
Health officials stress that the risk to the public is low and that the U.S. food supply remains safe and stable.
“At this time, there continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health, or affects the safety of the interstate commercial supply of milk,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
Here’s what you need to know about bird flu and food:
On Friday, the strain of bird flu that has killed millions of wild birds in recent years was found in at least 26 dairy herds in eight U.S. states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and South Dakota.
The virus, known as H5N1 Type A, has been detected in several mammals in recent years, but this is the first time it has been found in cattle, according to federal animal and health agencies. Genetic analysis of the virus does not show that it has changed to spread more easily in people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Agricultural authorities in at least 17 states have restricted imports of dairy cattle from states where the virus has been detected, but so far, government agencies say this has had little effect on commercial milk production. Authorities believe the cows likely became infected through exposure to wild birds, but said cow-to-cow spread “cannot be ruled out.”
Farmers are testing cows that show symptoms of infection, including markedly reduced milk production and lethargy. Animals that show signs or test positive for the disease are being separated from other animals on farms. The animals appear to recover within two weeks.
U.S. egg producers are monitoring the situation closely after bird flu was detected in chickens in Texas and Michigan. Millions of birds have been killed, but the FDA has said the risk of affected eggs reaching the retail market or causing infections in humans is low due to federal inspections and other safeguards.
Scientists say there is no evidence to suggest that people can contract the virus by consuming pasteurized or heat-treated – or properly cooked – food.
“It’s not a food safety concern,” said Lee-Ann Jaykus, a food microbiologist and virologist emeritus at North Carolina State University.
Two people in the US 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 recovered. In 2022, an inmate on a work program caught the virus while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue and he recovered.
Yes, according to food safety experts and government officials.
US producers are prohibited from selling milk from sick cows and must divert and destroy it. Additionally, milk sold between states must be pasteurized or heat-treated using a process that kills bacteria and viruses, including the flu.
“We firmly believe that pasteurization provides a safe supply of milk,” said Tracey Forfa, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, during a webinar this week.
The FDA and CDC are less certain about unpasteurized, or raw, milk sold in many states, saying there is limited information about possible transmission of the H5N1 virus in such products.
So far, no herds linked to raw milk suppliers have reported cows infected with bird flu, but the agencies recommend that the industry not produce or sell raw milk or raw milk cheese products made with milk from cows that show symptoms – or are exposed to infected viruses. cows.
U.S. health officials have long warned against the risk of foodborne illnesses associated with raw milk, which the CDC says has caused more than 200 outbreaks that sickened more than 2,600 people between 1998 and 2018.
Still, raw milk advocates such as Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm USA in Fresno, Calif., said the H5N1 outbreak in commercial cows appears to have spurred a surge in sales of the products despite federal warnings.
Only dairy cows, not beef cattle, have been infected or shown signs of illness so far, agriculture officials said.
The largest egg producer in the US temporarily halted operations on April 2 after detecting bird flu in its chickens. Cal-Maine Foods slaughtered about 1.6 million laying hens and another 337,000 pullets, or young chickens, after detection.
The company said there was no risk to eggs in the market and that no eggs were recalled.
Properly handled and well-cooked eggs are safe to eat, said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Safety at George Washington University.
“A lot of people like soft-boiled eggs. Personally, if I eat an egg, it’s very well cooked,” she said.
Still, Kowalcyk and others warned that the situation could change.
“This is an emerging question and clearly this pathogen is evolving and there is a lot we don’t know,” she said. “I think everyone is trying to figure it out as quickly as possible.”
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