US food safety regulators expand bird flu testing in dairy products

By Leah Douglas and Julie Steenhuysen

(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun testing more dairy products for evidence of the bird flu virus as outbreaks spread among dairy herds across the country.

More than 120 dairy herds in 12 states have tested positive for bird flu since March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Federal officials have warned that further spread among dairy cows could increase the risk of human infections.

The risk to the general public from bird flu remains low, federal officials said, although it is higher for dairy farm workers, who must wear personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of infection.

The focus of the additional testing, which will include samples from 155 products, is to ensure that pasteurization inactivates the virus, Don Prater, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said on a conference call with reporters.

Previous FDA tests on 297 retail dairy samples came back negative for evidence of the virus.

The agency continues to strongly advise against consuming raw dairy products, Prater said.

No infected dairy cow herd is known to be contributing to the raw milk supply, said Eric Deeble, USDA’s acting senior adviser for its bird flu response.

More than 690 people who were exposed to infected or suspected infected animals were monitored for flu symptoms, and 51 people who developed flu-like symptoms were tested, Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Centers for Immunization at the Centers for Control and US Disease Prevention. and Respiratory Diseases, he said in the conference call.

Three dairy farm workers tested positive for the virus, with mild respiratory or conjunctivitis symptoms, and all have recovered.

The CDC is providing technical support to the state of Michigan as it begins serological testing of farmworkers to detect signs of previous virus infection and will ensure testing can be completed in other states, Daskalakis said.

The USDA is conducting research into how dairy cattle contract the virus through contact with infected milk or respiratory droplets, Deeble said.

Developing an avian flu vaccine for dairy cows “is going to take some time,” and the agency hopes to eradicate the virus in dairy cattle without the use of a vaccine, Deeble said.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on June 12 that the agency is in talks with two dozen companies about developing a bird flu vaccine for livestock.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas, editing by Bill Berkrot)