US Food Safety Regulators Enhance Bird Flu Testing in Dairy Products – Reuters

By Leah Douglas and Julie Steenhuysen

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increased testing of dairy products for signs of the bird flu virus, as outbreaks have been reported among dairy herds across the nation.

Since March, over 120 dairy herds in 12 states have tested positive for bird flu, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Federal officials have indicated that further spread among dairy cows could elevate the risk of human infections.

While officials maintain that the risk to the general public from bird flu is low, it is notably higher for farm workers, who are advised to use personal protective equipment to minimize the risk of infection.

The FDA’s expanded testing will examine 155 dairy products to confirm that pasteurization effectively inactivates the virus, as outlined by Don Prater, the acting director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition during a recent media briefing. Prior testing of 297 retail dairy samples yielded no evidence of the virus.

Prater also reiterated the agency’s strong recommendation against the consumption of raw milk products. Eric Deeble, the USDA’s acting senior adviser for its bird flu response, assured that no infected dairy herds are currently contributing to the raw milk supply.

More than 690 individuals who have been exposed to infected or suspected infected animals are being monitored for flu symptoms. Among these, 51 persons who exhibited flu-like symptoms have been tested. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, reported that three dairy farm workers have tested positive for the virus but have only experienced mild respiratory or conjunctivitis symptoms, and all have since recovered.

The CDC is assisting Michigan in initiating serological tests for farm workers to check for prior infection with the virus, and is committed to facilitating similar testing in other states, Daskalakis added.

Research by the USDA is underway to understand how dairy cattle might contract the virus, particularly through contact with infected milk or respiratory droplets.

The development of a bird flu vaccine specifically for dairy cows is expected to take time, with the agency hoping to eliminate the virus from dairy cattle without resorting to a vaccine, according to Deeble. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack mentioned discussions with various companies regarding the development of such a vaccine for cattle.