Fragments of Bird Flu Virus Found in 1 in 5 Milk Samples

FRIDAY, April 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Bits of bird flu virus have been discovered in roughly 20% of retail milk samples tested in a national survey, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The finding suggests that bird flu has spread far more widely among dairy cows than officials first thought.

Samples from parts of the country that have infected dairy herds were more likely to test positive, the agency noted, and regulators stressed there is no evidence yet that cow milk poses a danger to consumers or that live virus is present in milk on store shelves.

Still, 33 herds across eight states have already been confirmed to have been infected with bird flu, also known as H5N1.