FDA finds traces of bird flu in one in five milk samples across the US
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Milk samples collected from areas with infected herds of dairy cows had more chances of getting a positive result
United States Food and Drug Administration, in an online update on Thursday (April 25), said that fragments of the bird flu virus have been detected by federal regulators in around 20 per cent of retail milk samples after they were tested in a nationally representative study.
According to the agency, the samples with high chances of positive test results were collected from different parts of the country and belonged to virus-infected dairy herds.
The Food and Drug Administration said that traces of the bird flu virus were found in 1 in 5 samples of pasteurised milk.
Till now, bird flu has been found in 33 herds across eight states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio and Texas.
No evidence of milk being 'dangerous' for consumers
The regulators have again confirmed that till now no evidence has emerged which proves that milk is dangerous for the consumption of the consumers.
They added that no presence of live virus has been found in the milk on store shelves. Public health experts have also agreed with the assessment of the regulators.
However, traces of the virus in samples of milk from around the country clearly confirm bird flu outbreak in dairy cows.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital virologist and influenza expert Richard Webby said, “It suggests that there is a whole lot of this virus out there."
Watch: Bird Flu Updates: Experts say 'outbreak could be serious'
The findings of the FDA emerged less than a month after the H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered for the first time in dairy cows in several states. Since then, the flu has been detected in herds in eight states.
The FDA has been working to investigate the outbreak with the US Department of Agriculture and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The testing method used is called PCR testing and looks for bits of genetic material. If the result is positive, that doesn't mean they have found a live, infectious virus.
(With inputs from agencies)
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