A genetic analysis sheds light on when the outbreak began, how the virus spread and where it may be going. The bird flu virus sweeping across dairy farms in multiple states has acquired dozens of new mutations, including some that may make it more adept at spreading between species and less susceptible to antiviral drugs, according to a new study. None of the mutations is a cause for alarm on its own. But they underscore the possibility that as the outbreak continues, the virus may evolve in ways that would allow it to spread easily between people, experts said. “Flu mutates all the time — it’s what, sort of, flu does,” said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, who was not involved in the work.
The bird-flu panic is getting out of hand. Last week, the FDA reported that 20 percent of the milk it had sampled from retailers across the country contained fragments of bird flu, raising concerns that the virus, which is spreading among animals, might be on its way to sickening humans too. The agency reassured the public that milk is still safe to drink because the pasteurization process inactivates the bird-flu virus. Still, the mere association with bird flu has left some people uneasy and led others to avoid milk altogether.
US health officials have warned that dairy workers are still vulnerable to the H5N1 bird flu spreading among cows and should take precautions to avoid infection. They cited a case where a dairy worker experienced an eye infection and underwent genetic testing, confirming the presence of the virus, according to a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tim Uyeki and Texas health officials. The infected worker received oral antiviral treatment and reported only minor eye discomfort the day after testing. Dairy workers are advised to use protective gear, maintain hand hygiene, and seek medical attention promptly if symptomatic.
Milk is defined by its percentages: nonfat, 2 percent, whole. Now there is a different kind of milk percentage to keep in mind. Last week, the FDA reported that 20 percent of the milk it had sampled from retailers across the country contained fragments of bird flu, raising concerns that the virus, which is spreading among animals, might be on its way to sickening humans too. The agency reassured the public that milk is still safe to drink because the pasteurization process inactivates the bird-flu virus. Still, the mere association with bird flu has left some people uneasy and led others to avoid milk altogether.
The infected worker received oral antiviral treatment and reported only minor eye discomfort the day after testing. Dairy workers are advised to use protective gear, maintain hand hygiene, and seek medical attention promptly if symptomatic. Milk can’t seem to catch a break. For more than 70 years, consumption of the white liquid has steadily declined.
In 2022, the previous time the Department of Agriculture measured average milk consumption, it had reached an all-time low of 15 gallons a person.
