ird flu has been hitting a little too close to home lately. In its testing of the commercial milk supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 25 that 20% of milk samples tested from the retail market contained “viral fragments” of H5N1 bird flu. Many believe that's an underestimate; experts at Ohio State University have found that as much asThe results immediately raised concerns about the safety of the U.S.' milk supply and the risk of infection for people consuming it.
prevent spread to other herds or facilities. The agency is also asking—but not requiring—that farmers submit milk from lactating cattle and nasal swabs from non-lactating cattle who become sick to the National Animal Health Laboratory Network for testing. And any state labs and veterinarians who find positive tests must report them to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The fact that it's now infecting cows—animals that people come in closer contact with than other mammals that have harbored H5N1, like foxes—means the viruses could potentially be mutating in ways that could spread and cause disease in significantly more people. On farms, that scenario wouldn’t be a stretch, since cows and pigs often coexist there. The USDA issued dairy workersto increase efforts to clean milking equipment, spilled milk, clothing, vehicles, and other animals that may come in contact with milk. The agency has also warned that infected, unpasteurized milk could be a source of spread to other animals and potentially even people.