{"id":836,"date":"2024-04-25T11:42:34","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T11:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/25\/fda-finds-traces-of-h5n1-bird-flu-viruses-in-grocery-store-milk-but-says-pasteurized-dairy-products-are-still-safe\/"},"modified":"2024-04-25T11:42:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T11:42:34","slug":"fda-finds-traces-of-h5n1-bird-flu-viruses-in-grocery-store-milk-but-says-pasteurized-dairy-products-are-still-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/25\/fda-finds-traces-of-h5n1-bird-flu-viruses-in-grocery-store-milk-but-says-pasteurized-dairy-products-are-still-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA finds traces of H5N1 bird flu viruses in grocery store milk but says pasteurized dairy products are still safe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it had detected viral particles of H5N1 avian influenza in milk purchased at grocery stores, but the agency says it still believes that the milk is safe to drink. <\/p>\n

In an\u00a0update\u00a0about an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in cattle, the FDA noted that it believes the viral particles were detected by highly sensitive lab tests and are likely to have been remnants of viruses killed during the pasteurization process.\u00a0The agency said that it does not think it is likely that the particles would able to infect people but it is conducting additional tests to be completely sure. <\/p>\n

The FDA said these egg inoculation tests are \u201ca gold-standard\u201d for determining whether a virus is still viable and able to infect people. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe. Results from multiple studies will be made available in the next few days to weeks,\u201d the agency said. <\/p>\n

Dr. Eric Topol, founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said the finding of viral particles in milk on grocery store shelves means the outbreak is probably more widespread than we\u2019ve known. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe dissemination to cows is far greater than we have been led to believe,\u201d Topol said in an email Tuesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe FDA assurance that the dairy supply is safe is nice, but it\u2019s not based on extensive assessment yet, which they acknowledge, and won\u2019t engender trust and confidence because it comes in the wake of USDA mishandling,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

The US Department of Agriculture confirmed in late March that it had detected highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, which was the first time a virus that has been decimating bird populations around the globe had shown up in cattle.\u00a0Since then, infected cows have been confirmed in more than 30 farms across eight states. Scientists have said the USDA is sharing too little information about the virus and too slowly. <\/p>\n

The infected cows stopped eating as much as they usually did, and their milk became thickened and discolored. Veterinarians running tests on the animals found that the milk was teeming with the virus, although samples from their lungs didn\u2019t show much evidence of infection, leading the doctors to believe that the animals\u2019 mammary glands were directly infected, perhaps through shared milking equipment. <\/p>\n

Researchers are still trying to determine how cows initially became infected and how the virus is spreading between animals. <\/p>\n

Cats that have lived on the same farms as infected cows have died, perhaps after exposure to their milk. <\/p>\n

The FDA said Tuesday that milk from sick cows is being \u201cdiverted or destroyed,\u201d while milk sold in interstate commerce is being pasteurized, a process that heats it briefly to kill microbes. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven if virus is detected in raw milk, pasteurization is generally expected to eliminate pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health,\u201d the FDA stated. <\/p>\n

The agency said 99% of milk in the commercial supply comes from farms that follow the pasteurized milk ordinance, \u201cwhich includes controls that help ensure the safety of dairy products.\u201d However, it noted that pasteurization doesn\u2019t render milk completely sterile. <\/p>\n

For that reason, it has been running tests on milk samples collected at grocery stores across the country. It is also collaborating with the food safety group at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <\/p>\n

The FDA has long recommended that consumers not drink unpasteurized or raw milk because of the possibility that it may harbor\u00a0germs\u00a0that can pose serious health risks. <\/p>\n

So far, efforts to track the spread of the current oubreak have relied on voluntary reporting. <\/p>\n

The USDA\u2019s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service keeps a list of diseases that are required to be reported in animals. Although avian influenza, or bird flu, is required to be reported in poultry and wild birds, reporting is not required in cattle. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo one ever thought it was going to be in cows,\u201d said Dr. Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization\u2019s coordinating center for studies on the ecology of influenza at St. Jude\u2019s Children\u2019s Research Hospital. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t even think of an H5N1 in cows being something you\u2019d ever have to worry about, and I think that\u2019s where it\u2019s fallen through the cracks a little bit.\u201d <\/p>\n

Not only does the USDA require reporting of H5N1 in poultry, it rewards producers for reporting at the first sign of illness in their flock and financially compensates them for birds and eggs that are destroyed to contain an outbreak.\u00a0This approach has encouraged farmers to be forthcoming with information, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. <\/p>\n

There are no such policies in place to encourage reporting in other livestock. <\/p>\n

Osterholm said his major worry is that the outbreak could spread to pigs, since farms that keep cows often keep other types of animals, too. <\/p>\n

Flu viruses enter cells through sialic acids, which serve as entry points. Right now, the H5N1 virus hasn\u2019t learned to efficiently access the human version of the sialic acid receptor. <\/p>\n

Pigs have the same sialic acid receptors as both birds and humans in their respiratory tracts. If H5N1 causes a large outbreak in pigs, Osterholm said, it would give the virus a perfect opportunity to learn to attach to human sialic acids. <\/p>\n

\u201cPigs are a more efficient mixing bowl,\u201d said Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor of pediatrics, molecular virology and microbiology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. \u201cThe one thing about where we are in Texas is that, in addition to those cattle, Texas is the epicenter of the feral hog population.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the United States, we have 30% of the nation\u2019s feral hogs, 2 to 3 million feral hogs, and so that to me is a potential risk, as well,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The USDA said it has encouraged farmers and ranchers to report cases of sick cattle to state animal health officials. <\/p>\n

But neither cows nor the people who work or live around them are being widely screened for the infection, which would require informed consent. Testing of wastewater in areas with outbreaks is also being discussed. <\/p>\n

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