United States: Authorities in Marin County, California, have issued an alert concerning the consumption of raw milk following a child’s suspected contraction of avian influenza, reportedly linked to ingesting unpasteurized dairy.
An update on Wednesday, however, revealed that preliminary tests for avian flu in the child returned negative, according to an insider connected to the inquiry, as shared with ABC News.
“The child has fully recuperated, and no other household members have shown symptoms, affirming an absence of human-to-human transmission,” stated Marin County Public Health representatives in an official communiqué.
Health experts have persistently advised against raw milk consumption, a caution that predates the current avian flu outbreak ravaging livestock. The pasteurization process, known to eradicate harmful pathogens such as bacteria and viruses—including the bird flu virus—does not occur in raw milk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes that unpasteurized milk consumption may lead to digestive complications and, in rare instances, severe conditions like Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder capable of causing paralysis, as reported by ABC News.
California continues to grapple with a pervasive bird flu outbreak, with 32 confirmed human cases recorded statewide. Health officials attribute all but one of these infections to direct exposure to infected livestock.
In a proactive measure last week, state health authorities declared they had orchestrated a comprehensive, voluntary recall of raw milk and cream products from Raw Farm, LLC. This action followed the detection of the virus in product samples obtained from both retail outlets and dairy storage and bottling facilities.
While definitive evidence connecting raw milk consumption to human infection with avian flu remains elusive, laboratory studies in feline and murine models suggest these species can contract the illness via contaminated unpasteurized milk, according to ABC News.
As of this year, the US has documented at least 60 human cases of avian influenza—58 validated by the CDC and an additional two reported by Arizona health officials. Nearly all infections nationwide have been linked to agricultural workers who came into contact with diseased livestock.