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Bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, though officials maintain supply is safe (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by MicroWave to c/health

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The FDA is waiting on test results on the effects of pasteurization on the virus in cow's milk, but to date, it's seen nothing that would change the assessment that commercial milk is safe.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that fragments of the bird flu virus had been detected in some samples of pasteurized milk in the U.S. While the agency maintains that the milk is safe to drink, it notes that it is still waiting on the results of studies to confirm this.

The findings come less than a month after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu was found, for the first time, in herds of dairy cows in several states. It has since been detected in herds in eight states.

The FDA has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the outbreak.

The fragments of the virus were found while testing samples of pasteurized milk, the FDA said. The testing method, called PCR testing, looks for bits of genetic material; a positive result doesn’t mean that live, infectious virus has been found.

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[–] Gigan 27 points 8 months ago (2 children)

a positive result doesn’t mean that live, infectious virus has been found.

That's the important part. Pasteurization is supposed to kill micro-organisms, but it doesn't remove them from the milk.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

In other words, this is a special note for raw milk enjoyers.

[–] LesserAbe 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I worked with a guy who only drank raw milk, he would also eat raw eggs and meat. Didn't seem like the sort of guy who would take heed of a health warning

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I only eat "whole food plant based" now but before I switched I loved raw milk. I grew up in the Caribbean with pasteurized but very lightly processed milk (still beige). Raw milk was the only way to get that flavor here in Mainland US. For me it was all about the flavor not ideology. I wouldn't risk bird flu over milk.

[–] LesserAbe 2 points 8 months ago

Got it. Maybe not milk for me but I like unpasteurized cider.

I didn't mean to imply all raw milk drinkers would ignore health warnings. But this guy would have.

[–] Aux 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

I'm always amazed by how bad the food is in the US. It's completely normal to eat raw meat, eggs and drink raw milk in the UK.

[–] LesserAbe 1 points 8 months ago

This guy wasn't having some nice meal, he was cracking eggs in my car and slurping them down. He only ate uncooked food. He was not the sort of guy who had a fact based view of nutrition or bodily care.

[–] Gigan -1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Being cautious doesn't mean the food is bad. Ya'll just a bunch of neanderthals Source Source 2 Source 3

[–] Aux 1 points 8 months ago

US has similar salmonella cases per capita to EU while washing, bleaching and cooking eggs like crazy. Who's neanderthal?

[–] Crackhappy 1 points 8 months ago

So I should probably stop sneaking out and guzzling Bessie's sweet sweet milk in the middle of the night?

[–] John_McMurray 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Lots of people can't drink pasteurized milk. I'm one of them. There's also a lot of traditional recipes n cheeses simply can't be made with pasteurized milk, most north Americans don't even remember these things once existed. Pasteurization isn't really necessary for people live near the dairy, it's to make milk last 2 weeks and be transported into the city.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

*sad Homelander noises*