Bird flu is spreading to dairy cows in more states. Are milk and eggs still safe?
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — An outbreak of bird flu detected in U.S. dairy cows has spread to at least two dozen herds in eight states, weeks after the largest producer of eggs in the country detected the virus in chickens.
Health officials continue to stress that the risk to the public is low and that the U.S. food supply remains safe and stable.
“People shouldn’t be worried about, our milk supply,” said Lee-Ann Jaykus, Emeritus Professor of food microbiology at North Carolina State University.
Commercial milk remains safe and available because pasteurization, a high-heat treatment, kills bacteria and viruses. But there’s limited information about possible transmission of the H5N1 virus in unpasteurized milk or cheese products, prompting officials to warn consumers about known risks of consuming raw milk foods.
Scientists say there’s no evidence to suggest that people can contract the virus by consuming food that’s been pasteurized, or heat-treated, or properly cooked.
“The other really major reason that people shouldn’t be concerned about the food supply is because this is not a virus that is transmitted by food-borne routes,” said Jaykus.
One person has been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus from cows, a Texas dairy worker who was in close contact with an infected cow. The worker developed a mild eye infection and has recovered. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.
