The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has broadened the testing of dairy products to detect the presence of the H5N1 bird flu virus.
It will collect 155 samples from different dairy products including butter, ice cream, and cream cheese to check for the presence of a highly pathogenic strain that continues to spread across the country.
They made the decision after testing raw milk samples from different farms, which tested positive for H5N1. According to the FDA, the agency will collect samples from supermarkets such as Kroger, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s. If any sample tests positive, experts will further evaluate to determine if the virus is alive.
“This retail sampling effort is intended to address remaining geographic and product gaps from the initial sampling of the commercial milk supply that FDA conducted between April and May of this year,” said Don Prater, acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA.
The agency also cautioned against the use of raw milk to contain the spread of the virus. “We also recommend that the industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products, including raw milk cheese made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with the avian influenza viruses or exposed to those infected with avian influenza viruses”, said Prater.
Despite warnings, around three percent of US people turned a deaf ear to these advisories. They continue to consume raw milk believing it is a ‘superfood’.
The FDA along with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) replicated commercial milk processing to evaluate its effectiveness in killing the virus. The results demonstrated that standard pasteurization time and temperature requirements were sufficient to kill the virus.
These findings confirmed recent tests on 297 pasteurized dairy samples, all virus-negative.
H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu that continues to spread across 12 states in the US. Within a month, the number of infected cattle herds has increased from 80 to 132.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported four human cases of bird flu. Two cases were reported from Michigan and the others from Texas and Colorado. Fortunately, all infected individuals showed mild symptoms and recovered from the disease.
The virus also infected cats who consumed raw milk or raw meat from infected cows. Out of 24 infected cats, more than half died. Those who survived experienced symptoms including bloody diarrhoea, blindness, and neurological problems.
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