Avian flu was detected in a sample of raw milk for sale in California, prompting an emergency … [+]
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has identified avian influenza or bird flu virus in raw milk sample. The product that was for sale in retailers at the time of testing has now been recalled by the manufacturer after the state of California requested its withdrawal from sale.
The affected product is cream, whole raw milk produced and packaged by Raw Farm, LLC of Fresno County with lot code 2024110. The best buy date for the lot is 11. November 2024 which means consumers could have still in their homes. Currently, no illnesses have been reported from this batch of milk, but it may take several days for people to develop bird flu after exposure. According to the World Health Organizationmost people develop symptoms within 2-5 days, but they can take up to 17 days to appear.
According to the CDC, bird flu symptoms may include fever or feeling hot or chills, redness or irritation of the eyes, and respiratory symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue.
An image of the affected brand of raw milk for sale in California.
Customers should not consume any product matching the above description and should return the product to stores or discard it. CDPH is also in the process of notifying retailers of the contaminated product to notify them to remove it from their shelves. Since then, CDPH has visited both of the company’s farm locations and found no further evidence of bird flu. CDPH will continue to test the farm’s milk twice a week.
The CDPH emphasizes that there is no danger in drinking pasteurized milk, as the milk is heated to temperatures that inactivate bacteria and viruses. However, raw milk does not go through this process, meaning any bacteria or viruses in the milk can be transferred to the consumer. Public health departments too as CDC have long warned about the dangers of drinking raw milk, which is responsible for outbreaks of Listeria, E. coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella, among other germs.
California has been hit by bird flu outbreaks in both dairy cow herds and poultry farms with over 400 dairy herds are affected from November 22. Twenty-nine human cases have also been reported in the state, mostly people who had close contact with infected animals. The number of people infected is likely to be underreported, and very little is known about the severity of the disease in humans so far. Just two days ago, the CDC confirmed one case of H5N1 avian influenza in a child in California with no known contact with animals.
