Bird flu virus found in raw milk from California dairy farm, batch recalled
State health officials are warning the public after the bird flu virus was detected in a batch of raw milk from a Central California dairy farm.
The sample, found in a batch of cream top, whole raw milk, was produced and packaged from Raw Farm in Fresno County, the California Department of Public Health reported Sunday. The company, at the state's request, has initiated a voluntary recall of the product.
The county contacted stores on Friday to alert them to pull the raw milk from sale. The test results were confirmed on Saturday by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System at UC Davis.
What batch of milk has the bird flu virus?
The affected batch has a lot code of 20241109 and a "Best By" date of Nov. 27, 2024.
Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase.
So far no illnesses have been reported in connection to the tainted milk.
Recall comes days after California child tests positive for bird flu virus
The Santa Clara County Public Health laboratory has been testing raw dairy products as a "second line of consumer protection," according to the CDPH.
Following the first detections of bird flu in the state's dairy cows in August, officials reported testing of raw milk from farms was carried out weekly by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The announcement comes just days after the state Department of Health reported a child in Alameda County in the East Bay tested positive for the bird flu virus despite not having any known contact with a infected animal.
It's considered a “possible” case until the positive test is confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state officials said in a Nov. 19 news release.
What is bird flu?
Bird flu is a disease caused by a family of flu viruses primarily transmitted among birds.
Avian influenza viruses, according to the CDC and USDA, are classified into two groups: low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) (often seen in wild birds) and HPAI, found mostly in domestic poultry. According to the CDC, LPAI viruses cause mild or no disease, and HPAI cause severe disease and high mortality rates in infected birds.
Bird flu cost the government at least $660 million by February 2023, the Associated Press reported at the time, and has raised the price of eggs and poultry. Tens of millions of birds have been slaughtered to limit the spread of the virus.
What are symptoms of bird flu?
Symptoms of bird flu include, according to the CDC:
- eye redness (conjunctivitis)
- mild flu-like upper respiratory symptoms
- pneumonia requiring hospitalization
- fever (temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater) or feeling symptoms of a fever
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuff nose
- muscle or body aches
- headaches
- fatigue
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Is it OK to drink raw milk?
Federal health officials advise people should not drink raw milk.
This past spring, during an update on the outbreak of bird flu in the U.S., federal health agencies revealed recent testing on commercial dairy products detected remnants of the virus in one in five samples. However, at the time, none contained the live virus that could sicken people.
Pasteurized milk, which is milk heated to a high enough temperature long enough to kill harmful germs, is best to drink, according to the CDC.
Raw milk can carry a host of harmful bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli and a slew of other foodborne illness-causing bacteria.
The presence of these can cause a variety of health issues and ailments, including:
◾ Listeriosis
◾ Typhoid fever
◾ Tuberculosis
◾ Diphtheria
◾ Q fever
◾ Brucellosis
◾ Food poisoning
◾ Miscarriage
◾ Guillain-Barre syndrome
◾ Hemolytic uremic syndrome
◾ Reactive arthritis
◾ Chronic inflammatory conditions
◾ Death
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund