Avian influenza virus particles have been detected in pasteurized milk in the United States.
This is a major crisis for the United States, the world's largest dairy country.
Correspondingly, "very high concentrations" of avian influenza viruses have been detected in raw milk in several states in the United States.
World Health Organization (WHO) health officials announced on April 20 that "extremely high concentrations" of the avian influenza virus had been detected in raw milk in the United States. However, the survival time of the virus in milk has not been determined.
Since March, U.S. officials have confirmed cases of avian influenza in dairy herds in nine states.
Worryingly, there has been the first human case of avian influenza in cattle in Texas.
On April 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that avian influenza virus particles had been found in some pasteurized milk samples, but the U.S. FDA stressed that the milk available in the market is still safe to eat.
"Based on the available information, the pasteurization process should inactivate the virus, but the virus particles are not expected to be eliminated," the FDA states.
Currently, the US FDA is tracking down residual virus particles. They said they had been evaluating the affected animal dairy products, processing systems and milk that had been put on the market.
At the same time, the U.S. FDA is completing a large, representative national sample survey to get a complete picture of the presence of avian influenza virus particles in milk.
This will be of great help to the global dairy industry in tracking the effects of avian influenza, both cows and raw milk.
They are also further evaluating any positive results that pass the egg incubation test. The Food and Drug Administration says this is the gold standard for confirming live virus.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are eight states in the United States with confirmed cases of avian influenza in dairy cows.
As of now, these states include Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and South Dakota.
The virus, known as H5N1 A, has been detected in a variety of mammals over the past few years, but this is the first time it has been detected in cattle, according to the federal health and animal agency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said genetic analysis of the virus showed that it had not changed and was therefore unlikely to spread more easily in humans.
The World Health Organization has warned that "very high concentrations" of the H5N1 avian influenza strain have been detected for the first time in raw milk. Raw milk refers to raw milk that has not been sterilized through a standard pasteurization process. But the WHO also states that pasteurized milk is still safe at major retailer standards.
According to foreign media reports, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that avian influenza has surged in cattle and chickens across the United States, and animals on 29 farms in eight states have been affected.
The World Health Organization has expressed concern about the spread of H5N1 avian influenza, a virus with an "extremely high mortality rate" for humans.
Last month, U.S. cows and goats also joined the list of infected animals. Previously, experts believed that mammals such as cattle and sheep were not susceptible to avian influenza viruses.
U.S. authorities reported this month that a patient in Texas was recovering from bird flu after coming into contact with cows, and that 16 cattle in six states were apparently infected after coming into contact with wild birds.
Earlier this month, a dairy farm worker in Texas became the second person in U.S. history to be infected with bird flu.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the patient had a "mild" degree of infection with only one symptom – an inflamed eye, and reported that the patient had been isolated and was "recovering well."
So far, only dairy cows, not beef cattle, have shown signs of infection or illness.
The largest egg producer in the U.S. suspended production on April 2 after its flock was found to be infected with avian influenza. Cal-Maine Foods slaughtered about 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 hens after the discovery of avian flu.
The potential threat of avian influenza is growing, and it is hoped that this is not the case for domestic dairy cows.
On the other hand, consumers also need to pay attention to the fact that they must be careful with eggs and must be disinfected after hand contact.