April 26, 2024 -- A nationwide survey found traces of the bird flu virus in 1 in 5 retail samples of pasteurized milk.
The FDA said Thursday in an online update that finding traces of the virus doesn’t mean the live virus has gotten into the milk supply, and “the retail milk studies have shown no results that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.”
But finding traces of the virus in 20% of milk samples may indicate the bird flu outbreak in dairy cows is more widespread than first thought, an expert said.
"The number does seem high if the number of infected farms is indeed only 30-odd,” Richard Webby, PhD, a virologist and influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, told NBC News. "Clearly there are more infected animals out there than being reported."
The USDA said that, as of Thursday, bird flu has been found in 33 dairy herds in at least eight states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio, and Texas.
The FDA update noted that a higher level of positive tests came from milk in areas with infected herds of dairy cows. The federal agency declined to say how many samples were tested, however, according to NBC News.
The news comes after the FDA initially announced on Tuesday that traces of the virus were detected in pasteurized milk.
At the time, the FDA said the nation’s milk supply was safe because of the pasteurization process and because of “the diversion and destruction of milk from sick cows.”
Also this week, the USDA said that it would require all cows moved across state lines to be tested for bird flu.