Bird Flu: What You Need to Know Now
You may have seen recent news reports about the bird flu virus and the possibility that this virus could affect humans and our food supply, notably with milk from cows. Government health officials say there is no reason for concern, and experts at Mount Sinai agree.
“People should be aware, monitor the situation, and follow the guidelines of health authorities,” says Bernard Camins, MD, MSc, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Medical Director for Infection Prevention for the Mount Sinai Health System.
The issue arose when a bird flu virus was detected in dairy cows in eight states. The concern is that this virus could pass to consumers who drink milk from infected cows.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says tests have shown the commercial milk supply is safe. The FDA says the pasteurization process heats milk up to a high enough temperature to kill harmful germs, and milk from sick cows is diverted and not sold. Even if virus is detected in raw milk, pasteurization eliminates pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health, according to Dr. Camins and the FDA. Recent testing by the FDA has shown that pasteurization is effective at inactivating the bird flu virus, and this testing did not detect any live, infectious virus.
Although bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans, sporadic human infections have occurred, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On Monday, April 1, the CDC announced that one person in Texas had tested positive for a strain of the bird flu virus referred to as H5N1. The person was exposed to dairy cattle that were presumed to be infected.
The patient reported eye redness and is recovering. The patient was told to isolate and was treated with an antiviral drug for flu, according to the CDC. This is the second person reported to have tested positive for bird flu in the United States. A previous human case occurred in 2022 in Colorado.
The CDC says the risk these viruses pose to the public remains low. It recommends that people should avoid being near sick or dead animals. Also, people should not prepare or eat uncooked or undercooked food or related uncooked food products, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk or cheeses, according to the CDC. Dr. Camins says people should normally avoid eating avoid raw milk and raw cheeses because of the potential for contracting other infections and not just bird flu.
According to the New York State Department of Health, bird flu is caused by a group of viruses that occur naturally in wild birds. Animal health officials are watching closely for bird flu in poultry and wild birds in the United States. Early detection of the virus in poultry and wild birds is important to prevent the spread of bird flu, especially into commercial poultry flocks, the Department says.
