Pasteurized milk contains traces of the avian flu virus, according to a US official

According to scientists, most affected cattle seem to make a full recovery within two weeks, even if the infection is fatal to commercial poultry.

Pasteurized milk samples tested positive for traces of the avian flu virus that has infected dairy cows, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statement on Tuesday.

“The results do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers,” the FDA said, adding that the substance is inactivated.

In addition, officials have said that they are still investigating the matter.

“We have not observed anything that would lead us to reevaluate the safety of the commercial milk supply,” the FDA said.

Nearly one month has passed since the discovery of the avian flu virus in dairy cows in eight states—the same virus that has afflicted millions of birds in recent years, both wild and domestic. Department of Agriculture officials have reported that 33 herds have been impacted so far.

No information was provided by FDA authorities on the number of samples analyzed or their source. Milk from both processing facilities and grocery shops has been subject to evaluation by the FDA, according to authorities. The results of the further testing should be available in “the next few days to weeks.”

Emeritus food microbiologist and virologist Lee-Ann Jaykus of North Carolina State University said that the PCR lab test used by the FDA might have identified viral genetic material even after the live virus had been destroyed by pasteurization or heat treatment.

“The FDA is following up on the evidence that this is not an infectious virus,” Jaykus said.

The milk from the afflicted cow did not get it into the commercial supply, according to officials from the FDA and the USDA. It is proper practice to discard and redirect milk from unwell animals. Milk must be pasteurized before it may be sold across state lines, according to federal laws.

No research on the effects of pasteurization on the virus have been completed, according to FDA authorities, since the finding of the Type A H5N1 bird flu virus in dairy cattle is new and the situation is developing. Pasteurization, however, is “very likely” to inactivate heat-sensitive viruses such as H5N1, according to previous study, the agency said.

The safety of the commercial milk supply in the United States is guaranteed by time and temperature restrictions for pasteurization, according to Matt Herrick, a representative of the International Dairy Foods Association.

After weeks of reports of cows in Texas suffering from an unexplained sickness, scientists identified the H5N1 virus in dairy cows in March. The milk output of the cows dropped significantly, and they seemed listless. Experts say that most sick cattle tend to recover within two weeks, despite the fact that the H5N1 virus is fatal to commercial poultry.

Just two Americans have had avian flu thus far. A dairy worker in Texas who had close touch with an infected cow recently recovered from a moderate eye infection.

A prisoner participating in a labor program in Colorado contracted the disease in 2022 while slaughtering diseased chickens at a poultry farm. Fatigue was his only symptom, and he got well soon after.