{"id":998,"date":"2024-05-17T12:04:49","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T12:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/17\/new-usda-testing-with-substitute-h5n1-bird-flu-virus-reminds-us-why-eating-rare-burgers-can-be-risky\/"},"modified":"2024-05-17T12:04:49","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T12:04:49","slug":"new-usda-testing-with-substitute-h5n1-bird-flu-virus-reminds-us-why-eating-rare-burgers-can-be-risky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/17\/new-usda-testing-with-substitute-h5n1-bird-flu-virus-reminds-us-why-eating-rare-burgers-can-be-risky\/","title":{"rendered":"New USDA testing with substitute H5N1 bird flu virus reminds us why eating rare burgers can be risky"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Laboratory tests by the US Department of Agriculture haven\u2019t found any H5N1 bird flu virus in raw beef, but they are a good reminder why eating rare hamburgers can be risky. <\/p>\n

As part of a suite of tests conducted to check safe food handling advice after the detection of H5N1 bird flu virus in dairy cattle, the USDA recently mixed a substitute virus into ground beef and then cooked patties at varying times and temperatures. <\/p>\n

Researchers found none of the virus in hamburgers cooked to 145 degrees, roughly the temperature of a medium burger, or well-done burgers cooked to 160 degrees. They did, however, find some live virus in patties cooked to 120 degrees or rare, although the virus was present \u201cat much, much reduced levels,\u201d said Eric Deeble, acting senior adviser for highly pathogenic avian influenza at the USDA. <\/p>\n

Whether that small amount of virus could make someone sick is still an unknown. <\/p>\n

The USDA already advises consumers to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, as measured with a food thermometer, to avoid infections from bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, he noted. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that anybody needs to change any of the safe food handling or safe cooking practices that are already recommended,\u201d Deeble said. <\/p>\n

The USDA also announced $22 million in new government investments to protect animal health. The bulk of the funding will go to the Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program and to a network of state laboratories called the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some labs that have equipment that needs to be updated or upgraded and additional folks that are interested in adding capacity to the laboratories that they operate. And so this funding is going to help support those types of projects,\u201d Deeble said Thursday. <\/p>\n

Between May 6 and May 12, the national lab network processed 1,100 tests for H5N1 bird flu in cattle, and 278 of those were presumed positive, Deeble said.\u00a0He cautioned that because multiple samples can be taken from the same animal or tests may be pooled, the number of tests doesn\u2019t reflect the number of animals tested or the number that are positive.\u00a0Approximately 600 of the tests were performed in accordance with the USDA\u2019s new order, which requires testing of dairy cattle moving between states.\u00a0Another 450 tests were performed on animals showing symptoms. <\/p>\n

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