#H5N1 #virus #milk #contaminated #cows
Published19. April 2024, 4:13 p.m.
Avian flu: H5N1 virus found in milk from contaminated cows
The discovery of high concentrations of the H5N1 virus in milk in the United States requires vigilance, the WHO warned on Friday.
The World Health Organization recommends consuming only pasteurized milk.
Unsplash / Megumi Nachev
After the discovery of high concentrations of H5N1 virus in the milk of cows contaminated with avian flu in the United States, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Friday to apply common sense food safety measures, including the use of pasteurized milk.
For now, studies are underway to try to determine how long the virus can survive in milk and the WHO has asked people to remain vigilant.
Pasteurize milk
“While studies are ongoing, it is important for people to practice safe dietary practices, including consuming only pasteurized milk,” said Dr. Wenqing Zhang, who leads the global influenza program at the WHO, during the regular UN briefing in Geneva.
“We are now seeing that several herds of cows are affected in a growing number of American states, which shows a new stage in the spread of the virus to mammals,” underlined the WHO official.
Milk from sick cows destroyed
The health authorities of Texas, in the south of the United States, where the first case of transmission from cow to man was discovered, stressed that there was no risk for the commercial dairy circuit, due to the obligation to destroy milk from sick cows.
Pasteurization, which involves heating the milk, also kills the virus.
Human infections with the H5N1 virus remain rare and are linked to exposure to infected animals and environments.
No human-to-human infection
There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission at this time, but health officials fear that high circulation could facilitate a mutation of the virus that would allow it to pass from one human to another.
Dr. Zhang clarified, however, that the virus in Texas does not show signs of increased adaptation to mammals.
Between the start of 2023 and April 1, 2024, the WHO said it recorded a total of 889 human cases of avian flu in 23 countries, including 463 deaths, bringing the case fatality rate to 52%.
(afp)
