Traces of the virus H5N1 were found in pasteurized cow’s milk in the US, US authorities announced on Tuesday, clarifying that the samples detected did not likely pose any risk to human health.
In an extensive nationwide investigation, particles of the virus were found “in milk from infected animals in the processing system and on shelves,” the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement.
“If a virus is detected in raw milk, pasteurization is generally considered to eliminate pathogens to levels that do not pose a health risk to consumers,” he explained.
Bird flu A (H5N1) spread through the country’s dairy herds and infected a human in early April, who showed mild symptoms.
Although the H5N1 strain caused millions of birds to die in the current wave, the infected cows did not show severe symptoms.
“Additional analyzes are being conducted on milk on store shelves across the country, as well as work to assess any potential variation across different types of milk products (for example, whole milk, cream, etc.),” the FDA added.
Bird flu has already been detected in raw milk, and health authorities have long warned against consuming it.
Also yesterday, Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that after detecting large concentrations of H5N1 in the milk of cows infected with bird flu in the USA, it recommends that food safety measures be implemented, such as the use of pasteurized milk.
Research is currently underway to determine how long the virus can survive in milk, and the WHO has called for continued vigilance.
“While studies are ongoing, it is important that people follow safe dietary habits, including drinking only pasteurized milk,” Wenqing Zhang, who heads the global influenza program at WHO, said during a regular briefing of journalists from the UN headquarters in Geneva.
“We are now finding that several cow herds have been affected in an increasing number of US states, which indicates a new stage in the spread of the virus in mammals,” the WHO official said.
Health authorities in Texas, in the southern US, where the first case of cow-to-human transmission of the virus was detected, stressed that there is no risk to the commercial milk chain, thanks to the obligation to destroy milk from cows infected with the virus. H5N1.
H5N1 human infection remains rare and is associated with exposure to infected animals or environments.
There is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. But health officials worry that wide circulation of the virus could facilitate a mutation that would potentially allow it to be transmitted from person to person.
Zhang noted, however, that the virus detected in Texas showed no evidence of increased adaptation in mammals.
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