The national milk supply must be tested for bird flu under a new federal order announced Friday by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Entities that handle raw milk, such as bulk milk shippers or dairy processors, must collect and share samples with the USDA, upon request of the agency.
The goal is to quickly identify which dairy herds are affected by the H5N1 strain – the bird flu strain that is causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows – and prevent transmission between livestock.
As of Thursday, there were 718 affected dairy herds in 15 states.
“Among many other outcomes, this will give farmers and farmworkers greater confidence in the safety of their animals and their ability to protect themselves, and put us on the path to quickly controlling and stopping the spread of the virus throughout the world.” country,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack declared on Friday.
The initial round of testing under the new order, which was first reported by the Reuters news agency, will begin on December 16. Testing will begin in six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
In addition to the testing mandate, the order requires dairy herd owners whose cattle test positive for bird flu to provide information that can help monitor the problem.
The USDA previously issued a federal order in April requiring lactating dairy cows to be tested for bird flu before being shipped across state lines, and requiring private labs and state veterinarians to report positive cases. based on that evidence. The new order also maintains these requirements.
The order responds to renewed urgency to address the rapid spread of bird flu among livestock in recent months, which scientists fear could eventually pose a more widespread risk to human health.
The consumption of raw, or untreated, milk is increasingly popular, despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the possibility of contracting bird flu this way. Several studies have shown that commercial pasteurization – the use of heat to treat milk – inactivates the virus, making the milk safe for consumption.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the sale of raw milk across state lines, but up to 30 states allow its sale locally.
In November, California health authorities detected bird flu in several batches of raw milk from a local dairy farm. On Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health announced a broad recall of raw, farm-raised milk and cream from retail shelves, although no human cases of bird flu have been linked to the products.
To date, 58 human cases of bird flu have been detected in the United States. The vast majority were exposed to infected livestock or poultry. Symptoms so far have been mild, and usually include conjunctivitis, coughing or sneezing. However, the CDC reported last month that some cases may be asymptomatic, so the agency recommends that anyone who has been exposed to bird flu get tested.
Research on dairy farms has shown that the virus spreads effectively among mammals, including from cows to other species such as raccoons and cats. Scientists believe the virus is likely to spread among farm animals through raw milk, because infected cows excrete large amounts of the virus through their mammary glands.
There is still no evidence that people can infect each other with bird flu, scientists are concerned that the H5N1 strain could evolve in that direction, which could lead to a potential human pandemic.
Research published Thursday in the journal Science reinforces these concerns. The study found that a single mutation of the bird flu strain circulating in dairy cows would allow it to spread more easily between people.
