FDA Expands Avian Flu Testing In Dairy Products

Reuters (6/25, Douglas, Steenhuysen) reports the FDA “has begun testing more dairy products for evidence of the bird flu virus as outbreaks spread among dairy herds across the country.” Since March, “more than 120 dairy herds in 12 states have tested positive for bird flu...according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Federal authorities “have warned that further spread among dairy cows could heighten the risk of human infections.” Right now, “the risk to the general public from bird flu remains low, federal officials have said,” but “it is higher for workers on dairy farms, who should wear personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of infection.” CNN (6/25, Goodman) reports that in addition to expanded testing by the FDA, the CDC “is partnering with the state of Michigan to begin a highly anticipated study to assess whether workers exposed to infected cattle had themselves become infected.” Both “projects are part of a suite of new research announced by federal agencies on Tuesday to understand the dynamics of H5N1 bird flu, which for the first time jumped from birds to dairy cattle around the beginning of the year.”