Here’s the latest update on the global outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, which began in 2020 and has recently affected cattle in U.S. states and marine mammals worldwide. Health officials are closely monitoring the situation, expressing concerns about the virus mutating and potentially spreading to humans, where it has been rare but deadly.
May 1: The Department of Agriculture tested 30 ground beef products from grocery stores for bird flu, all of which tested negative, confirming the safety of the meat supply.
May 1: The Food and Drug Administration confirmed the safety of dairy products, stating that samples of products like infant formula, toddler milk, sour cream, and cottage cheese tested negative for live traces of the virus, although some dead remnants were found in some food items, none of which were baby products.
April 30: Wenqing Zhang, head of the World Health Organization's Global Influenza Programme, stated during a news briefing that there is a risk of cows in other countries becoming infected with the bird flu virus, as it is commonly spread through the movement of migratory birds.
April 29: The Department of Agriculture announced plans to test ground beef samples from grocery stores in states with cow outbreaks, as well as ground beef cooked at different temperatures and infected with the virus, to determine safety for consumption.
April 24: The USDA warned against cow-to-cow transmission, which may be occurring due to cows coming into contact with raw milk, advising against consuming unpasteurized milk to prevent potential infection in humans and other animals, including pets.
April 18: Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist for the World Health Organization, expressed concern about the potential spread of bird flu between humans, noting its evolution and increasing infections in mammals on land and sea, which could lead to possible transmission to humans.
April 1: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the second U.S. human case of bird flu in a Texas dairy farmer who became infected after contracting the virus from infected dairy cows. The farmer was already recovering.
Regarding the safety of milk and meat infected with bird flu, the FDA advises against consuming raw, unpasteurized milk, but pasteurized milk is considered safe. The virus remnants in pasteurized milk are deactivated during pasteurization. Properly cooked meat and eggs are safe to eat, as cooking kills the virus. The CDC warns against eating raw meat or eggs infected with bird flu.
Symptoms of bird flu in humans include fever, cough, headache, chills, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pink eye, muscle aches, and fatigue. Laboratory testing is needed for diagnosis.
The recent outbreaks have affected egg prices, leading to an increase in prices due to decreased production. Poultry farmers euthanize infected chickens to control the spread of the virus, and the USDA compensates farmers for the loss of birds and eggs.
While there are vaccines for some bird flu variants for humans, there are none specifically for the H5N1 variant. The government plans to mass-produce vaccines in case of a human outbreak.
As of April 30, more than 90 million poultry in 48 states have been euthanized due to bird flu since 2022, with 36 dairy cow herds across nine states testing positive. The USDA believes wild migratory birds are the source of the outbreaks. Despite the risk, the CDC considers the threat to the public low.