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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that samples of pasteurized milk on grocery store shelves tested positive for remnants of the avian influenza virus that has already infected dairy herds.
The FDA stressed that the substance has been inactivated and the results are “not indicative.” [an] “This is an actual virus that could pose a risk to consumers,” officials said, adding they were continuing to study the issue.
The avian influenza virus, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or H5N1, is a highly contagious and often fatal disease in poultry.
According to the FDA, infection with the virus causes reduced milk production, loss of appetite and other symptoms in affected cows.
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The FDA has announced that remnants of the avian influenza virus have been detected in pasteurized milk on grocery store shelves, but there is no risk to customer safety. (St. Petersburg)
The FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the commercial milk supply is safe due to the pasteurization process.
The pasteurization process involves heating milk to a specific temperature for a period of time to kill harmful bacteria and viruses, making it safer. Federal regulations require that milk entering interstate commerce be pasteurized.
“The pasteurization process has served public health for more than 100 years,” the FDA said. “parable [the] If a virus is detected in raw milk, it is generally expected that pasteurization will remove the pathogen to a level that poses no risk to consumer health. ”
“To date, we have not seen anything that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.”
Pasteurization is different from full pasteurization and extends shelf life, but is not required to ensure milk safety, the agency said.
FDA and USDA officials previously said there was no commercial supply of milk from the affected cows. Milk from sick animals is to be diverted and discarded.
FDA officials did not say how many samples were tested or where they were obtained. Officials said the agency is evaluating milk being processed and milk coming from grocery stores. Additional test results are expected “in the coming days and weeks.”
Lee Ann Jacas, a virologist and food microbiologist emeritus at North Carolina State University, told The Associated Press that the PCR test used by the FDA shows that the genetic material of the virus remains intact even after the live virus has been killed by pasteurization or heat treatment. He said he thought it would have been detected.
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Cows are milked while riding on a slowly moving merry-go-round. (Edwin Remsberg/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“There is currently no evidence that this is the case. [an] “It’s a contagious virus and the FDA is tracking it,” Jacas said.
Scientists confirmed the H5N1 virus in dairy cows in March, following weeks of reports that cows in Texas were suffering from a mysterious disease.
According to the FDA, HPAI has now been confirmed in livestock in 33 herds across eight states: Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina.
The virus is deadly for commercial poultry, but most infected cattle appear to recover within two weeks, experts say.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) echoed FDA’s assertion that pasteurization is effective against HPAI and that commercial milk supplies are safe.
“The virus fragments detected after pasteurization are only evidence that the virus has died and have no effect on human health,” NMPF said in a statement.
“Additionally, the federal PMO prohibits milk from sick cows from entering the food supply chain. Milk and dairy products produced and processed in the United States are among the safest in the world. ”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday that the avian influenza virus has been detected in samples of pasteurized milk on grocery store shelves, but there is no risk to customers. (St. Petersburg)
The news comes after a Minnesota goat tested positive for HPAI in February, marking the first time in the U.S. that domestic cattle, sheep, goats, or their relatives have been infected with avian influenza. This was an example.
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The positive baby goat was on a farm in Stevens County that was already raising poultry infected with avian influenza, according to the Minnesota Animal Health Commission.
So far, two people have been infected with bird flu in the United States. A Texas dairy worker who came into close contact with infected cows earlier this year developed “red eye” but has since recovered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2022, a prison inmate on a work program was infected while slaughtering infected birds at a poultry farm in Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue and he also recovered.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
