Bird flu found in raw milk from California dairy farm sparking recall as cases rise across the state

The bird flu microorganism has been detected successful earthy beverage from a California dairy workplace sold successful stores, arsenic cases of the microorganism soar crossed the state.

Santa Clara County nationalist wellness officials announced Sunday that a illustration of earthy beverage from Fresno-based Raw Farm, the largest shaper and retailer of dairy successful the Golden State, from a store connected November 21 tested affirmative for the H5 virus.

But they judge it was apt contaminated with the vertebrate flu, H5N1, arsenic nary H5 cases person been reported successful the authorities and it has not been identified successful immoderate cows, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

'This isn't surprising, fixed however rapidly H5N1 seems to beryllium spreading among farms successful California, and fixed the information that these outbreaks connected farms are being discovered successful ample portion owed to bulk investigating connected earthy beverage from farms,' Jennifer Nuzzo, manager of the Pandemic Center astatine Brown University told the outlet.

'What we don't cognize is however overmuch hazard H5N1 poses to radical that portion unpasteurized, infected milk.'

Raw Farm has since issued a voluntary recall of each quart and half-gallon beverage products produced connected November 9 that are acceptable to expire connected Nov. 27 and person the batch ID No. 20241109.

No cases of the vertebrate flu associated with Raw Farm products person been reported.

Still, the dairy workplace is requesting stores to region the products from the shelves and is urging consumers to instrumentality it for a escaped replacement oregon refund.

Mark McAfee, the proprietor of Raw Farm, besides noted that it was the archetypal clip immoderate of his products tested affirmative for the microorganism since helium started enrolling successful voluntary investigating successful April.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture past began play investigating of earthy beverage successful bulk tanks successful August aft the vertebrate flu infected cattle successful 3 Central Valley dairy herds, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

It volition present 'begin investigating for vertebrate flu doubly per week' astatine Raw Farm's retail locations, officials announced Sunday.

Raw beverage carries an inherently elevated hazard of foodborne unwellness that the high-temperature pasteurization process helps eliminate.

Non-pasteurized beverage tin incorporate bacterial and viral pathogens including salmonella, listeria and E. coli.

In fact, Raw Farm antecedently had to contented a callback of its earthy cheddar cheese products that were linked to an E. coli outbreak crossed aggregate states.

It was besides tied to a salmonella outbreak successful October 2023 that infected astatine slightest 165 people, according to the New York Post.

Recent carnal studies bespeak the vertebrate flu microorganism 'could airs a hazard if ingested successful ample capable quantities, but we person not yet seen quality cases resulting from earthy beverage consumption,' Nuzzo said.

'Given that ingestion of earthy beverage has nary credible wellness benefits, I personally would debar drinking it.'

California has present seen 29 affirmative H5N1 cases, each of which were reported successful dairy workers - but for 1 lawsuit successful a kid successful Alameda County that was reported past week.

Investigators are not definite however the kid contracted the virus, but person ruled retired interaction with infected dairy oregon poultry products - including the earthy milk.

There is nary grounds to enactment that it is being transmitted from person-to-person, either.

But, since March, 402 California dairy herds person tested affirmative for vertebrate flu successful the state, portion a full of 616 herds person tested affirmative nationwide. 

The microorganism was besides detected successful wastewater sites successful Santa Clara County, including Palo Alto, San Jose, Gilroy and Sunnyvale, and was detected successful 24 of 28 California wastewater systems. 

Meanwhile, lone 55 cases of vertebrate flu person been reported nationwide - meaning that much than fractional the cases are located successful California.

Symptoms see oculus redness, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting and fever.

Health officials counsel anyone who thinks they whitethorn person the microorganism should interaction their wellness attraction supplier and section wellness department, and isolate astatine home.