California has halted the sale of raw milk after detecting the H5N1 bird flu virus in samples from a farm in Fresno. “All Raw Farm operations are currently under quarantine, from herds to bottled product, which means that all raw milk product distribution is suspended,” Steve Lyle, director of public affairs for the agency, said in a statement. “CDFA dairy inspectors sampled milk from bottled products and bulk milk storage at Raw Farm’s bottling facility on Wednesday, Nov 27, and laboratory test results made known on November 28 showed the presence of the bird flu virus. All milk tested by CDFA remained at the Raw Farm plant and was not released to consumers.” Here’s what consumers need to know about the recall.
RELATED: Experts Detail Bird Flu’s “Worst-Case Scenario”.
Bird Flu In Milk
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According to CNN, Raw Farms says products from before the testing may still be in stores, but no new supply will be added until the quarantine ends. The CDPH warns consumers about milk lot code number 20241119 with ‘best by’ dates of November 27 and December 7. “Our hard-working dairy team is working in full cooperation with the state to maintain regulatory compliance,” Raw Farmposted on Instagram. “There will be supply shortages and we apologies for [this] inconvenience.”
Symptoms of Bird Flu
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Consumers who drank the tainted raw milk should be aware of what bird flu looks and feels like. “Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever,” says the CDPH. “Anyone who has consumed these specific products, and is experiencing these symptoms, should immediately contact their health care provider or local health department.”
Pasteurization
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Health agencies are urging consumers to stick to pasteurized milk. “The process of pasteurization has helped ensure the health of the American public for more than 100 years,” says the FDA. “Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria and viruses by heating milk to a specific temperature over time. Even if HPAI virus is detected in raw milk, the current pasteurization process (HTST – High temperature, short time) will inactivate HPAI virus.
RELATED: 6 Symptoms of Bird Flu in Humans.
How Does Bird Flu Spread?
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Human-to-human infection is not common. “Bird flu is very rarely contagious (spread from person to person), but there have been a few cases of spread between humans,” says the Cleveland Clinic. “None of these happened in the U.S. In almost all cases so far, human bird flu infections have come from contact with infected animals.”
Warning To Consumers
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Californians are advised to throw out any potentially affected raw milk. “No human bird flu cases associated with the product have been detected,” says the CDPH. “As the state continues to investigate the link between bird flu detections in retail raw milk and the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry, and sporadic human cases, consumers are strongly urged to not consume any of the affected raw milk. Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase.”