Raw and unpasteurized milk is set to be tested for bird flu across the U.S. starting Monday, aiming to monitor H5N1 in cattle that will comply with a new federal order.
Testing on request is set to begin in several U.S. states as experts focus on eliminating the virus from dairy herds entirely, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in announcing the plan earlier this month. First on the list are Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania, though they already have testing in place, with or without bird flu cases.
The virus was first found in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas in March. Since then it has been confirmed in more than 700 herds in 15 states. California has seen several cases of bird flu and undertaken several milk recalls, the most recent one on Saturday.
Pasteurized milk is safe to drink, since the virus does not survive the heat-treatment process.
“Among many outcomes, this will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’s spread nationwide,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement announcing the federal order on Dec. 6.
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Raw milk will be tested for H5N1 starting Monday. (Getty)
The move comes as more animals, from wild birds to poultry to cattle, test positive for the deadly strain. In addition, 60 cases have been confirmed among humans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While there is still no sign of human-to-human transmission in the U.S. and no imminent danger of a bird flu pandemic, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Saturday some potential mutations bear watching.
A study published in the journal Science on Dec. 5 “found that a single alteration in a protein on the surface of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus—currently present in U.S. dairy cows — could significantly increase its potential for human-to-human transmission,” NIAID noted. “These findings highlight the critical importance of ongoing surveillance and monitoring of HPAI H5N1 for genetic changes that might enhance its ability to spread among humans.”
The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has also urged vigilance as bird flu races through the wild bird population and infects other animals, including humans.
“We are calling on the animal health community for increased surveillance of avian influenza,” the international Paris-based organization said on Dec. 11. “As the diseases infects a growing number of domestic and wild mammals, including humans, we encourage enhanced surveillance and reporting.”
With News Wire Services
