California state agricultural officials have issued a recall of raw milk from Valley Milk Simply Bottled, a Central Valley dairy, after tests detected the presence of the avian influenza virus, commonly known as bird flu, in a bulk tank sample. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has warned residents against consuming milk from this dairy, citing the risk of infection with the H5N1 virus, an emerging and rare strain of bird flu. At this time, no illnesses linked to the contaminated milk have been reported.
This marks the second raw milk recall in California within the past two weeks. On December 3, Raw Farm LLC, based in Fresno, voluntarily recalled all of its raw milk and cream products due to possible bird flu contamination. Valley Milk Simply Bottled is located approximately 100 miles from Raw Farm LLC, raising concerns about the geographic spread and potential risks associated with the virus.
The detection of H5N1 in milk raises questions about how the virus is spreading to dairies. Avian influenza primarily affects birds, but environmental contamination, such as exposure to infected wild birds or their droppings, could play a significant role. Dairy cows themselves are not typical hosts for the virus, but contaminated equipment, feed, or water sources could lead to milk contamination. If dairy cows are found to be infected with H5N1, they are quarantined and culled to prevent the virus from spreading, making them unavailable for slaughter or use in the food supply. The CDFA has confirmed such measures are in place to safeguard public health and ensure that infected animals and their products do not enter the food chain.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a new federal order last week that raw milk samples nationwide will be collected and shared with the department in order to test for bird flu.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified the H5N1 strain as a significant threat to both animal and public health. Recently, the virus was detected in a backyard poultry flock in Louisiana, making it the 50th state to report an outbreak. Since the disease’s emergence in U.S. flocks in February 2022, nearly 124 million birds have succumbed to H5N1, either through the disease itself or culling efforts aimed at controlling its spread.
On Wednesday morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first severe case of bird flu in the United States. The patient, currently hospitalized in Louisiana, is infected with a strain of the virus recently detected in wild birds and poultry across the country, as well as in human cases reported in Canada and Washington state, according to the CDC.
The CDC stated that the individual was exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, though investigations into the exact source of the illness are ongoing. This marks the first U.S. case of human bird flu linked specifically to exposure to backyard poultry.
Since April, 61 human cases of bird flu have been reported in the U.S., based on CDC data. Nearly all of these cases involved direct contact with infected cattle or livestock. Prior to the Louisiana case, infections had been mild, with patients recovering after antiviral treatment, according to the CDC and state health officials.