Current:Home > ScamsPasteurization working to kill bird flu in milk, early FDA results find -Dynamic Wealth Solutions
Pasteurization working to kill bird flu in milk, early FDA results find
View
Date:2025-04-17 17:28:29
Preliminary results of tests run by the Food and Drug Administration show that pasteurization is working to kill off bird flu in milk, the agency said Friday.
"This additional testing did not detect any live, infectious virus. These results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe," the FDA said in a statement.
The FDA's findings come after the agency disclosed that around 1 in 5 samples of retail milk it had surveyed from around the country had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI H5N1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week also ordered testing requirements on cows in response to the outbreak, which has affected growing numbers of poultry and dairy cows.
Positive so-called PCR tests in milk can happen as the result of harmless fragments of the virus left over after pasteurization, officials and experts have said, prompting the additional experiments to verify whether or not the virus found in the milk was infectious. Those tests found it was not.
"The FDA is further assessing retail samples from its study of 297 samples of retail dairy products from 38 states. All samples with a PCR positive result are going through egg inoculation tests, a gold-standard for determining if infectious virus is present," the agency said.
While health authorities have said that milk from visibly sick cows is being discarded before entering the supply chain, officials have acknowledged the possibility that cows could be spreading the virus in their raw milk without symptoms or after they have otherwise appeared to recover.
The FDA said it had also tested several samples of retail powdered infant formula and toddler formula, which the agency said were all negative for the virus.
It is unclear what other foods the FDA has tested. An agency spokesperson did not answer questions about whether dairy products like cream, which can be pasteurized differently, have also been surveyed.
No beef cattle have been detected with the virus, the USDA has said, although it remains unclear whether the department has surveyed retail beef products for the virus.
So far, only one human infection has been reported this year, in a person who had contact with dairy cattle in Texas.
Though growing evidence is now confirming the safety of pasteurized milk, an additional challenge also remains for health authorities as they grapple with the possibility that dairy industry workers could be unknowingly exposed to the virus.
Unlike poultry, which quickly die off or are culled after H5N1 infections, cows largely go on to recover after a month or two.
Other animals have also not fared as well during the outbreak: the USDA said Friday that deaths and neurological disease had been "widely reported" in cats around dairy farms. Officials have said they suspect cats had been drinking leftover raw milk from infected cows.
"We know that the illness in cattle can go on for several weeks. So that puts workers at an ongoing risk. And thus, the period for monitoring will be longer," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Sonja Olsen told reporters this week.
- In:
- Bird Flu
- Food and Drug Administration
- Avian Influenza
Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.
TwitterveryGood! (1)
Related
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Jersey Shore's Pauly D Shares Rare Update on Life With 10-Year-Old Daughter Amabella
- Cheryl Burke Sets the Record Straight on Past Comments Made About Dancing With the Stars
- 2.6 magnitude earthquake shakes near Gladstone, New Jersey, USGS reports
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Maine governor will allow one final gun safety bill, veto another in wake of Lewiston mass shootings
- Harvey Weinstein to return to court Wednesday after his NY rape conviction was overturned
- 'Succession' star Brian Cox opens up about religion, calls the Bible 'one of the worst books'
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Marcus Outzen dies: Former Florida State quarterback started national title game
Ranking
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Jersey Shore's Pauly D Shares Rare Update on Life With 10-Year-Old Daughter Amabella
- Sofía Vergara Candidly Shares How She Feels About Aging
- Air Pollution Could Potentially Exacerbate Menopause Symptoms, Study Says
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Trump’s comparison of student protests to Jan. 6 is part of effort to downplay Capitol attack
- When do cicadas come out? See 2024 emergence map as sightings are reported across the South
- Walmart launches new grocery brand called bettergoods: Here's what to know
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Police storm into building held by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia | The Excerpt
Maine governor will allow one final gun safety bill, veto another in wake of Lewiston mass shootings
Marcus Outzen dies: Former Florida State quarterback started national title game
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Ryan Gosling Is Unrecognizable in Latest Red Carpet Look at The Fall Guy Premiere
Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler Get Cozy During Rare Date Night
Why YouTuber Aspyn Ovard and Husband Parker Ferris Are Pausing Divorce Proceedings