State health officials announced Sunday that the avian influenza virus was detected in retail samples of raw milk from Fresno-based Raw Farm Dairy.
The samples were collected by Santa Clara County Public Health officials who are testing raw dairy products from retail stores “as a second step in consumer protection.”
County officials identified the virus on Nov. 21 in “one sample of raw milk purchased at a retail store,” according to a state and county statement. The county contacted the retailer on Friday and advised them to stop selling raw milk. The test results were confirmed Saturday by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System at the University of California, Davis.
“This is surprising given that H5N1 infections appear to be spreading rapidly on California farms, and the fact that most of these farm outbreaks are detected through bulk testing of raw milk from farms. “It’s not,” said director Jennifer Nuzzo. “What we don’t know is how much of a risk the H5N1 virus poses to people who drink infected, unpasteurized milk,” said Dr. Pandemic Center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
In this test, only the “H5” portion of the virus was positive. But health officials say the H5 detected in dairy products in California is likely H5N1. No other H5 avian influenza viruses have been detected in dairy cows.
Raw Farms issued a voluntary recall on all quart and half-gallon size dairy products manufactured on November 9th (best before date November 27th, Lot ID #20241109).
To date, there have been no reports of illness related to this recall.
“Out of an abundance of caution, consumers should not consume any affected raw milk due to the continued prevalence of avian influenza in dairy cows and poultry, and sporadic human cases,” state health officials said in a statement. It shouldn’t be done.”
Nuzzo said evidence from animal studies suggests the virus “could pose a risk if ingested in large enough quantities, but there have been no cases of human infection from consuming raw milk. It has not been confirmed yet.” I personally would avoid drinking raw milk, given that there are no reliable health benefits to consuming raw milk. ”
Researchers have found that barn cats that drink raw milk are more likely to die from the effects. Laboratory studies have shown similar results.
Last week, the CDC reported that a sample taken from a child in Alameda County who was exhibiting mild respiratory symptoms tested positive for H5N1. It is unclear how the child was exposed to the virus, but researchers have ruled out exposure to infected dairy or poultry animals. They also excluded raw milk.
Across California, 29 people have tested positive for the virus, all but one – a child in Alameda County – dairy workers. Nationwide, the number of cases is 55, of which 32 were infected through dairy products, 21 through poultry, and the source of infection is unknown in 2 cases.
Additionally, a British Columbia teenager has been infected and has remained in critical condition for more than two weeks. The source of the child’s infection remains unknown.
There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus.
Since March, 402 dairy cows have tested positive in California. Nationwide, 616 herds have tested positive.
Law Farm owner Mark McAfee said all tests he and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have conducted on his milk since he began self-testing in late April have come back negative.
“Over the past two days, CDFA has collected additional dairy samples from the farm’s bulk tanks, as well as retail store samples, all of which have officially tested negative for HPAI,” he said in a statement. . HPAI is an acronym for highly pathogenic avian influenza. It is often used interchangeably with H5N1 and other highly pathogenic avian influenza strains.
The California Department of Public Health confirmed that after being informed of the discovery, the Department of Agriculture tested McAfee’s milk and the results were negative.
Law Farms is the state’s largest producer and retailer of raw milk, and its products are legally sold in retail stores. McAfee said he has about 1,800 cows on two dairy farms near Fresno and Hanford.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not allow interstate movement of raw milk for human consumption and advises the public not to drink or consume raw milk products. Officials say pasteurization inactivates the virus.
Several states have recently changed their laws to legalize raw dairy products, including Iowa, Louisiana, and Delaware, all of which will amend their laws this spring to provide broader access to consumers. It became like that.
Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is an active supporter of raw milk. He said he wants to increase people’s access to unpasteurized milk.
Law Firm’s recall notice asks stores to remove the product from shelves and encourages consumers to return the product to the store where they purchased it for a free replacement or refund.
McAfee said the product is unlikely to remain in stores.
“It’s all gone,” he said. “We will take back any items that are not sold after 7 days.”
The virus has been found in wastewater sites throughout Santa Clara County, including Palo Alto, San Jose, Gilroy and Sunnyvale.
Additionally, 24 of California’s 28 wastewater systems were tested in collaboration with WastewaterScan, an infectious disease surveillance network led by researchers at Emory University and Stanford University, and clinical testing partner Verily, Alphabet’s life sciences organization. It was also detected in places.
We live in “a time when the price of raw milk is very high,” McAfee said. “RFK is in the news after announcing it wants to provide raw milk to everyone to improve America’s immunity and gut microbiome.”
“Our mission is to nourish consumers with the highest quality raw milk, and that’s what we do,” he said of his testing protocols and previous agreements with the state Department of Agriculture. He spoke, citing the circumstances.
