Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country

LA Times  

It was a late fall morning and hundreds of cows — black and white splattered Holsteins and cappuccino-colored Jerseys — milled about a San Joaquin Valley dairy farm in the largest milk-producing state in the nation. The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s dairy herds for the last three months had been confirmed on the farm. If a virus — whether it’s a bird flu, a human influenza virus or a coronavirus — is given the opportunity to spread within and between organisms, the virus will evolve, adapt and mutate. Then there’s the concern that the bird flu virus will find another flu virus that’s circulating — a human, swine or even other bird flu — and swap genetic material with it, potentially creating a new “super flu” that can spread easily between people, make its hosts very sick, or carry immunity to the antiviral medications used to treat infected patients. Milk production yes, but animals, no.” Mondragon knows that while his dairy farm saw the worst of the bird flu hit over the summer, none of the workers reported getting sick.

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History of this topic

California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?
4 days, 6 hours ago

California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?

Associated Press  

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized …

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases
Trending News
4 days, 23 hours ago

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases

India Today  

The US reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday in a Louisiana resident who is hospitalised in critical condition after suspected contact with an infected backyard flock. Severe respiratory illness in the Louisiana patient shows increased health risks for people from the virus that previously caused eye redness, or conjunctivitis, in infected dairy workers. "The mild …

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details
Trending News
4 days, 23 hours ago

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details

India Today  

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized …

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case
5 days, 23 hours ago

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case

NPR  

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case toggle caption National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AP California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in response to the ongoing spread of bird flu among dairy cattle. Genetic sequencing indicates the H5N1 virus responsible for the illness belongs to a genetic lineage that's …

California declares first statewide emergency over bird flu
5 days, 23 hours ago

California declares first statewide emergency over bird flu

Politico  

But Newsom said the detection on Dec. 12 of the flu to cows in Southern California necessitated “a shift from regional containment to statewide monitoring and response.” This makes California the first state to issue such a sweeping declaration after Colorado announced a targeted emergency in one county, according to Newsom’s Deputy Communications Director Elana Ross. The CDC also on …

Gov. Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana
5 days, 23 hours ago

Gov. Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as the H5N1 bird flu virus moved from the Central Valley to Southern California dairy herds, while federal officials confirmed the first U.S. case of severe illness in a hospitalized Louisiana patient — a concerning development as the virus continues to spread throughout the nation via migrating birds. “These additional laboratory investigations …

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.
5 days, 23 hours ago

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.

Salon  

A person has been hospitalized with bird flu in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking the first time since the outbreak began that an infection with the H5N1 virus reached such severity. Although another severe case hospitalized in a teenager in Canada last month, this is the first severe case reported in the U.S. Related …

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster
6 days, 23 hours ago

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu has seen a resurgence in the U.S. this year, with California leading the pack. Since 2022, millions of egg-laying chickens have been exposed to, infected with and culled or killed by H5N1 in the U.S. What stands out this year is how widespread the infection has been among dairy cows, which are spreading it to farmworkers — the …

Public health officials try to control bird flu in U.S. dairy capital
1 week, 1 day ago

Public health officials try to control bird flu in U.S. dairy capital

NPR  

Public health officials try to control bird flu in U.S. dairy capital More milk products come from Tulare County, California than any other county in the U.S. Public health officials there are trying to guard against bird flu infecting humans. KLEIN: It's one way the county and state are working together trying to contain avian influenza, along with testing dairy …

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu
1 week, 2 days ago

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu

Wired  

This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. “It’s a lot of trouble.” Further north and west, in the San Joaquin Valley—the heart of the state’s dairy industry—the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, has rippled through the massive herds that provide most of the country’s milk. The Centers for Disease …

Bird flu reportedly prompts another raw milk recall
1 week, 2 days ago

Bird flu reportedly prompts another raw milk recall

LA Times  

Holstein cows feed at a dairy farm outside Jerome, Idaho, in 2009. State agriculture officials Saturday announced a raw milk recall from Stanislaus County producer Valley Milk Simply Bottled, a news report said. Officials found H5N1 bird flu in bulk milk tanks produced by the Modesto-based raw milk dairy, according to the news agency YubaNet. The order applies to all …

Can drinking raw milk cause bird flu? US health officials probing a child’s case to find link
1 week, 4 days ago

Can drinking raw milk cause bird flu? US health officials probing a child’s case to find link

Firstpost  

A child in California’s Marin County fell ill after drinking raw milk and was later diagnosed with bird flu. Health authorties have urged people not to consume raw milk until their probe is complete Health officials in California are trying to find out if consumption of raw milk can cause bird flu in a human after a child was infected …

Latest California child to become ill after drinking raw milk does not have bird flu, CDC says
1 week, 4 days ago

Latest California child to become ill after drinking raw milk does not have bird flu, CDC says

LA Times  

A Northern California child who consumed raw milk and became severely ill did not have the bird flu virus, according to tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The child’s mother purchased Raw Farm raw milk, mistaking it for unhomogenized — or cream top — pasteurized milk. Last week, raw milk sales from Fresno-based Raw Farm were …

Cats in L.A. County die after drinking recalled raw milk
1 week, 4 days ago

Cats in L.A. County die after drinking recalled raw milk

LA Times  

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Thursday that it is investigating two possible cases of H5N1 bird flu in cats that consumed recalled raw milk from Raw Farm LLC. “The risk of H5 bird flu remains low in Los Angeles County, but this suspected case of the virus in a pet cat that consumed raw milk is …

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat
1 week, 5 days ago

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat

Deccan Chronicle  

Paris: Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among cows and infects people in the United States. The deadly bird flu variant H5N1 first emerged in China in 1996, but over the last four years it has sp More than 300 …

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns
2 weeks, 2 days ago

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns

Deccan Chronicle  

The US government has taken steps to better monitor the spread of bird flu among dairy cows, ordering testing of the nation’s milk supply for the H5N1 virus. While bird flu is typically associated with poultry, recent evidence suggests that it has begun spreading to cows, with initial reports indicating transmission through a single event likely in late 2023. Although …

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus
2 weeks, 2 days ago

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus

Hindustan Times  

The U.S. government on Friday ordered testing of the nation's milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. Under the federal order, dairy farmers and those who handle raw milk intended for pasteurization must provide samples of the milk on request for testing for bird flu. At least 58 people in the …

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds

LA Times  

Cows are milked at a Fresno dairy farm. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: The H5N1 bird flu may be one mutation away from being a threat to humans. And here’s today’s e-newspaper The H5N1 bird flu virus may need just one mutation to be a threat to humans, a study found. “Yikes,” “Oh great” and …

Arizona sees first case of human bird flu as government begins testing milk for virus
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Arizona sees first case of human bird flu as government begins testing milk for virus

Raw Story  

Bird flu has officially jumped from birds to infect two people in Arizona, AZFamily reported Friday. While cases of the disease, known as Type A H5N1, jumping to humans in California have previously been reported, this is the first case in Arizona, the report said. In March, the first case of bird flu was detected in U.S. cows' milk. "The …

USDA Orders Nationwide Testing Of Milk For Bird Flu
2 weeks, 3 days ago

USDA Orders Nationwide Testing Of Milk For Bird Flu

Huff Post  

Cows stand in the milking parlor of a dairy farm in New Vienna, Iowa, on Monday, July 24, 2023. via Associated Press The U.S. government on Friday ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. Under the federal order, dairy farmers and those who handle raw milk …

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus
Trending News
2 weeks, 3 days ago

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus

Associated Press  

The U.S. government on Friday ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. Under the federal order, dairy farmers and those who handle raw milk intended for pasteurization must provide samples of the milk on request for testing for bird flu. At least 58 people in the …

USDA orders testing across nation's milk supply amid rising bird flu cases
2 weeks, 3 days ago

USDA orders testing across nation's milk supply amid rising bird flu cases

NPR  

USDA orders testing across nation's milk supply amid rising bird flu cases toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal order requiring the testing of the nation's milk supply amid increasing concerns over bird flu. USDA said Friday the purpose of the federal order is to "identify where the disease is present, …

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds
2 weeks, 3 days ago

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds

Salon  

As the number of human bird flu cases continues to rise and more dairy farms across the country report outbreaks, scientists are increasingly concerned that the H5N1 virus will mutate to better infect people. In the lab, the authors of the study found that a single mutation in the primary protein, hemagglutinin could give it the ability to cling onto …

Avian flu virus has been found in raw milk − a reminder of how pasteurization protects health
Trending News
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Avian flu virus has been found in raw milk − a reminder of how pasteurization protects health

Salon  

As the H5N1 avian flu virus continues to spread in poultry flocks and dairy cattle, consumers may worry about whether the U.S. milk supply is safe to drink. In late November 2024, however, California regulators recalled two batches of raw, unpasteurized milk from a Fresno dairy farm after bird flu virus was detected in the milk. Despite health experts' warning …

Just one mutation can make H5N1 bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers say
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Just one mutation can make H5N1 bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers say

LA Times  

California researchers say the world may be just one genetic tweak away from human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus — a worrisome mutation that could open the door to widespread human infections and possibly even a pandemic, according to some experts. In a study published Thursday in the journal Science, Scripps Research Institute biologists determined that a single …

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu outbreaks at dairy farms are sparking fears of a major threat to human health. To the editor: As a retired public health and emergency medicine physician, I want to thank you for your recent articles about the bird flu, most recently those articles by Times reporters Susanne Rust and Melissa Gomez. The combination of a mutating and potentially …

Bird flu: How raw milk could usher in a pandemic.
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Bird flu: How raw milk could usher in a pandemic.

Slate  

Bird flu just might have found a direct route toward infecting more humans. The immediate risk posed by the bird flu virus’s presence in raw milk is limited to individual consumers who drink the stuff. But if you were actively trying to catch bird flu but couldn’t make it to a farm to handle the cows yourself, a glass of …

Raw milk recall in California expands after tests detect more bird flu virus
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Raw milk recall in California expands after tests detect more bird flu virus

Associated Press  

A California farm expanded a recall of raw milk sold in stores and halted production after state health and agriculture officials found bird flu virus in more milk samples. Raw Farm, of Fresno, voluntarily recalled all whole milk and cream products from stores late Tuesday after tests found bird flu virus in “multiple” retail samples and dairy storage and bottling …

All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu
2 weeks, 5 days ago

All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu

LA Times  

Raw Farm’s raw milk is set to be removed from stores. After two limited recalls, all raw milk and cream from a Fresno-based dairy farm must be removed from store shelves. However, the state is urging consumers to avoid other raw milk products, including cheese and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food products, including “raw milk pet food …

Raw Milk Farm Suspended After Officials Find Bird Flu In Products
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Raw Milk Farm Suspended After Officials Find Bird Flu In Products

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A California producer of unpasteurized raw milk, the preferred milk of Department of Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been forced by the state to suspend operations after officials found the bird flu virus in its products. PATRICK T. FALLON via Getty Images “CDFA dairy inspectors sampled milk from bottled products and …

Distribution of Raw Farm’s products suspended amid bird flu concerns
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Distribution of Raw Farm’s products suspended amid bird flu concerns

LA Times  

State agriculture officials on Thursday banned Fresno-based Raw Farm from distributing its raw dairy products to retailers amid ongoing concerns about possible bird flu infections among its cattle. After several days of contradictory test results, in which county public health departments found positive samples in bottled raw milk on store shelves and state agriculture officials did not detect the virus …

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain

NPR  

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain The spread of bird flu continues to trouble scientists. His experiments with infected cattle indicated bird flu was primarily spreading through virus-laden milk, not as you'd expect from a typical respiratory virus. STONE: The intervening months have made it painfully clear bird flu has a strong foothold in …

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID

Salon  

As America gears up for the year's end and a change in administration, the topic of public health has dominated many conversations throughout the election season, but one facet has been noticeably absent: bird flu. “It would be important for the Trump administration, as it's rolling out its team that's going to be heading CDC, HHS, USDA, that they talk …

Another recall of California raw milk after second batch tests positive for bird flu virus
Top News
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Another recall of California raw milk after second batch tests positive for bird flu virus

LA Times  

California health officials announced Wednesday that another batch of raw milk from Fresno-based Raw Farm has tested positive for bird flu virus, as dairy farms throughout the state continue to struggle with a widening number of outbreaks. For the second time in roughly the span of a week, Santa Clara County Department of Public Health officials tested store-bought raw milk …

Questions follow massive recall of California raw milk after bird flu testing
Trending News
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Questions follow massive recall of California raw milk after bird flu testing

LA Times  

Less than a week after California health officers confirmed a finding of bird flu virus in store-bought raw milk, state agriculture officials descended on Mark McAfee’s Raw Milk dairy “like never before” Wednesday and began collecting samples from the farm’s two herds, creamery, bulk milk tanks and trucks, according to the owner. The visit follows a recall of Raw Milk …

Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks

Associated Press  

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the nation’s top health job, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has vowed to allow wider distribution of raw milk across America. Raw Farm LLC, of Fresno, California, voluntarily recalled one lot of “cream top” whole raw milk after Santa Clara County health officials found the bird flu virus in a sample last week. On Tuesday, Los …

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists are warning about the continued transmission of dangerous H5N1 bird …

Warnings issued for contaminated raw milk sold in L.A. County stores
Trending News
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Warnings issued for contaminated raw milk sold in L.A. County stores

LA Times  

Public health officials announced Tuesday that raw milk contaminated with the bird flu virus may have been sold at stores in Los Angeles County. In a statement from the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, officials warned residents to avoid consuming Raw Farm LLC milk with a lot code of 20241109 and Best By date of 11/27/2024. Retailers …

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming

Salon  

This month, two independent cases of bird flu were detected in North American children without any known exposure to infected animals, raising concerns that the H5N1 virus that causes it is inching closer to evolving in a way that allows it to spread between humans. Again, if the H5N1 virus develops the ability to efficiently spread between humans, the world …

Bird flu found in raw milk sold in California
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Bird flu found in raw milk sold in California

Salon  

Over the weekend, California state health officials warned the public to avoid drinking raw milk from a Fresno-based dairy farm that was being sold in stores. “Out of an abundance of caution, and due to the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry and sporadic human cases, consumers should not consume any of the affected raw milk.” Related …

Raw milk from a California dairy is recalled after routine testing detected the bird flu virus
4 weeks ago

Raw milk from a California dairy is recalled after routine testing detected the bird flu virus

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The bird flu virus was detected in a retail sample of raw milk from a dairy in Fresno, California, state health officials said. The sample obtained at a store tested positive Nov. 21 during routine screening by Santa Clara County health officers, the state Department of Public Health said Sunday. On Friday, health officials confirmed bird flu …

Bird flu virus found in raw milk on California farm as RFK Jr continues to advocate its use
4 weeks ago

Bird flu virus found in raw milk on California farm as RFK Jr continues to advocate its use

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the incoming administration’s pick to lead …

Bird flu virus detected in California raw milk
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Bird flu virus detected in California raw milk

LA Times  

State health officials said Sunday that bird flu virus was detected in a retail sample of raw milk from Fresno-based dairy Raw Farm. The sample was collected by officials with the Santa Clara County public health office, who have been testing raw milk products from retail stores “as a second line of consumer protection.” County officials identified the virus in …

The number of cases of H5N1 bird flu is growing - but can it be caught by eating chicken?
1 month ago

The number of cases of H5N1 bird flu is growing - but can it be caught by eating chicken?

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As the number of human bird flu cases have continued to …

Possible bird flu infection reported in California child, health department reports
1 month ago

Possible bird flu infection reported in California child, health department reports

Salon  

The state of California has detected a possible bird flu infection in a child in the Bay Area. The bird flu crisis, driven by the H5N1 virus, began several years ago, but ramped up considerably in April when dairy cows started becoming infected. Related Emails reveal how health departments struggle to track human cases of bird flu Although there have …

Alameda County child believed to be latest case of bird flu; source unknown
1 month ago

Alameda County child believed to be latest case of bird flu; source unknown

LA Times  

California health officials reported Tuesday that a child in Alameda County tested positive for H5N1 bird flu last week. “It worries me greatly that this virus is popping up in more and more places and that we keep being surprised by infections in people whom we wouldn’t think would be at high risk of being exposed to the virus.” A …

H5N1 bird flu infects five more humans in California, and one in Oregon
1 month, 1 week ago

H5N1 bird flu infects five more humans in California, and one in Oregon

LA Times  

As H5N1 bird flu spreads among California dairy herds and southward-migrating birds, health officials announced Friday that six more human cases of infection: five in California and one in Oregon — the state’s first. California’s state epidemiologist, Erica Pan, said that while the announcement of five cases today may sound like a sudden explosion or acceleration in cases, it was …

Canadian teen in critical condition with what is believed to be human case of bird flu
1 month, 1 week ago

Canadian teen in critical condition with what is believed to be human case of bird flu

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Canadian teen is hospitalized in critical condition with what is …

Canadian teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu in critical condition
1 month, 1 week ago

Canadian teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu in critical condition

LA Times  

Canadian health officials announced Tuesday that a teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu from an unknown source is in critical condition. However, Nuzzo said, while this virus could “be a lot less deadly than what we’ve seen to date,” it could also be far more deadly than any pandemic in a long time, including COVID-19. Her third concern is how …

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