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H5N1 bird flu virus is infectious in raw milk cheese for months, posing risk to public health, study shows
H5N1 bird flu virus is infectious in raw milk cheese for months, posing risk to public health, study shows
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 7:16 PM EDT, Fri March 14, 2025
Raw cheese made with milk from dairy cattle infected with bird flu can harbor infectious virus for months and may be a risk to public health, according to a new study from researchers at Cornell University that was funded by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Raw milk cheeses are those made with milk that hasn’t been heat-treated, or pasteurized, to kill germs.
Although federal law prohibits the sale of raw milk across state lines, sales of raw milk cheese are legal nationwide as long as it’s aged at least 60 days before landing on store shelves. This requirement, which has been in place since 1949, is thought to cut the risk of contamination, since it allows development of natural acids and enzymes, which were believed to kill off pathogens.
The new study shows that this aging process may not inactivate the H5N1 virus, however, and it underscores the risk of consuming raw or undercooked foods during the bird flu outbreak, which continues to infect dairy cattle, poultry and a growing number of other animal species.
Snip...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/14/health/h5n1-bird-flu-raw-cheese/index.html
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 7:16 PM EDT, Fri March 14, 2025
Raw cheese made with milk from dairy cattle infected with bird flu can harbor infectious virus for months and may be a risk to public health, according to a new study from researchers at Cornell University that was funded by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Raw milk cheeses are those made with milk that hasn’t been heat-treated, or pasteurized, to kill germs.
Although federal law prohibits the sale of raw milk across state lines, sales of raw milk cheese are legal nationwide as long as it’s aged at least 60 days before landing on store shelves. This requirement, which has been in place since 1949, is thought to cut the risk of contamination, since it allows development of natural acids and enzymes, which were believed to kill off pathogens.
The new study shows that this aging process may not inactivate the H5N1 virus, however, and it underscores the risk of consuming raw or undercooked foods during the bird flu outbreak, which continues to infect dairy cattle, poultry and a growing number of other animal species.
Snip...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/14/health/h5n1-bird-flu-raw-cheese/index.html
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