USDA Orders Nationwide Milk Testing for Avian Flu to Stop Virus
The US government on Friday ordered testing of the country’s milk supplies for avian flu to better monitor the spread of the virus among dairy cows.
Raw or unpasteurized milk from the country’s dairy farms and processors must be tested on request starting December 16, the Agriculture Ministry said. Testing will begin in six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
Officials said the measure was aimed at “containing and ultimately eliminating the virus,” known as type A H5N1, which was first detected in March in dairy cows in the United States. Since then, more than 700 herds have been confirmed infected across 15 states.
“This will give farms and farmworkers greater confidence in the safety of their animals and their ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on track to quickly control and stop the spread of the virus nationally,” he said. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
The risk of bird flu remains low, health officials said. Pasteurization, or heat treatment, kills the virus in milk, making it drinkable.
Veterinarians, farmers, scientists and academics have been calling for nationwide milk testing for months, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, who led the effort.
“This is another step in the right direction,” Poulsen said. “They realize we need better control of the situation.”
Dairy farmers and processors in the United States are reluctant to test animals or milk for the virus, fearing economic or other repercussions. Jamie Jonker, science director for the National Milk Producers Federation, said the industry supports the USDA’s efforts to eliminate the virus.
Under the federal decree, dairy producers and those who handle raw milk intended for pasteurization must provide milk samples for avian flu testing upon request. It requires that positive tests be reported to the USDA and that herd owners provide basic information to enable tracing of the disease in cattle.
The move follows a Federal decree of April 24 which required certain dairy cattle to be tested before they could move interstate and required reporting of any positive tests. Despite this order, the virus continued to spread, Poulsen noted.
Raw milk from infected cows contains high loads of live virus, tests have shown.
In the United States, at least 58 people have been infected with bird flu, most of them farm workers who became mildly ill after close contact with infected cows, including their milk, or with infected poultry.
Avian flu has also spread among wild birds and a number of other animals.
Federal authorities continue to warn against drinking raw milk, which can contain a host of germs making people sick. In California, officials quarantined a farm and stopped the distribution of milk after the detection of the avian flu virus in raw milk sold in stores. Raw Farm of Fresno has issued a voluntary recall of raw milk and cream produced after November 9.
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