Bird Flu Traces Found in 20% of Retail Milk Samples

Bird Flu Traces Found in 20% of Retail Milk Samples

story

PUBLISHED Apr 26, 2024UPDATED Apr 29

Image copyright: athan Stirk/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Thursday that about one in five retail milk samples contain traces of highly contagious bird flu.
However, the FDA said that the virus fragments detected may not be infectious and that pasteurized milk products remain safe to consume.

The Spin

Narrative A

Despite detecting the bird flu virus in a significant portion of samples, the US milk supply remains safe, as the detected virus is inactive. This is largely due to the effectiveness of pasteurization, a process that the FDA's research underscores as crucial in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

FDA Says Bird Flu Virus Has Been Found in Milk on Grocery Store Shelves

Raw StoryApr 24

Narrative B

While the perceived risk of H5N1 in retail milk may be low, it's important to note that the outbreak is novel, and testing is still in the early stages. Therefore, it's premature to conclude with absolute certainty that milk on retail shelves is free from the infectious virus. Continued vigilance and caution is needed.

As bird flu spreads in cows, here are 4 big questions scientists are trying to answer

NPR Online NewsApr 26

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that a universal flu vaccine will be available by 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Development of Universal Flu Vaccine

MetaculusDec 01, 2022

Articles on this story

Remnants of the bird flu virus have been found in pasteurized milk, the FDA says

NPR Online NewsApr 22

Bird Flu Outbreak in Cattle May Have Begun Months Earlier Than Thought

New York TimesApr 22

Dairy cattle must be tested for bird flu before moving between states, agriculture officials say

Associated PressApr 22

Bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, though officials maintain supply is safe

Remnants of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, FDA says

Associated PressApr 22

1 in 5 samples of pasteurized milk had bird flu virus fragments, FDA says

Fragments of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, although FDA says supply is safe

USA TodayApr 22

U.S. requires more dairy cows tested for bird flu as viral concerns grow

Washington PostApr 22

Remnants of bird flu are found in grocery store milk - weeks after health officials assured public it wasn't possible

Daily MailApr 22

What We Know About Bird Flu Being Found in Pasteurized Milk

Bird flu virus discovered in pasteurized milk

IndependentApr 22

Remnants of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk: FDA

New York PostApr 22

FDA finds traces of H5N1 bird flu viruses in grocery store milk but says pasteurized dairy products are still safe

FDA Says Bird Flu Virus Has Been Found in Milk on Grocery Store Shelves

Raw StoryApr 22

Sign up to our daily newsletter

How our sliders work About Feedback Newsletter Archive