Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
What happened
Dairy cows moved across state lines must now be tested for bird flu to help quash an outbreak that has spread to at least 33 herds in eight states, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday. One Texas dairy worker contracted a mild case and the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it found inactive H1N1 viral fragments in pasteurized grocery store milk, though the risk to humans appears low.
Who said what
Dairy producers have been a "little bit" hesitant to "allow us to gather information from their farms," said the USDA's Dr. Michael Watson. This federal order will "really help us address any gaps that might exist."
The commentary
We may "get lucky with H1N1 and it will never manage to spread among humans," but "there is only a small window of time" to stop "dangerous novel pathogens" before they "spiral out of control," said Zeynep Tufekci at The New York Times. So far, we don't "seem up to the task."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
FDA tests to confirm there's no live virus in pasteurized milk will be "available in the next few days to weeks," said food safety director Don Prater.
-
Minnesota's legal system buckles under Trump's ICE surgeIN THE SPOTLIGHT Mass arrests and chaotic administration have pushed Twin Cities courts to the brink as lawyers and judges alike struggle to keep pace with ICE’s activity
-
Big-time money squabbles: the conflict over California’s proposed billionaire taxTalking Points Californians worth more than $1.1 billion would pay a one-time 5% tax
-
‘The West needs people’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillanceUnder the radar The disease can spread through animals and humans
-
Deaths of children under 5 have gone up for the first time this centuryUnder the radar Poor funding is the culprit
-
A fentanyl vaccine may be on the horizonUnder the radar Taking a serious jab at the opioid epidemic
-
Health: Will Kennedy dismantle U.S. immunization policy?Feature ‘America’s vaccine playbook is being rewritten by people who don’t believe in them’
-
Stopping GLP-1s raises complicated questions for pregnancyThe Explainer Stopping the medication could be risky during pregnancy, but there is more to the story to be uncovered
-
Vaccine critic quietly named CDC’s No. 2 officialSpeed Read Dr. Ralph Abraham joins another prominent vaccine critic, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
More adults are dying before the age of 65Under the radar The phenomenon is more pronounced in Black and low-income populations
-
Ultra-processed AmericaFeature Highly processed foods make up most of our diet. Is that so bad?
