“The risk remains low at this time, but we continue to be in a strong readiness posture as new data becomes available,” said Vivien Dugan at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a meeting of health officials on 25 April.
Genetic sequencing found that only one of the 260 samples from sick dairy cows so far has a mutation indicating H5N1 has adapted to infecting mammals, saidat the USDA during the meeting. However, this marker has been seen before in other sick mammals, and it didn’t impact thebetween mammals. Plus, the other 10 samples from the same herd where this one was collected didn’t have the same mutation.
Another key measure being taken is ensuring the safety of the milk supply in the US. Milk from infected cattle contains high amounts of the virus. While milk from sick animals shouldn’t be entering the milk supply, initial testing from the US Food and Drug Administration found thatThe vast majority of milk sold in the US is pasteurised, a process that kills pathogens with high heat.