“The U.S. authorities on Friday ordered testing of the nation’s milk provide for hen flu,” reports the Associated Press, “to higher monitor the unfold of the virus in dairy cows.”
Raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide should be examined on request beginning Dec. 16, the Agriculture Department stated. Testing will start in six states — California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
Officials stated the transfer is geared toward “containing and in the end eliminating the virus,” generally known as Type A H5N1, which was detected for the primary time in March in U.S. dairy cows. Since then, greater than 700 herds have been confirmed to be contaminated in 15 states. “This will give farms and farmworkers higher confidence within the security of their animals and talent to guard themselves, and it’ll put us on a path to shortly controlling and stopping the virus’ unfold nationwide,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated in an announcement.
The threat to folks from hen flu stays low, well being officers stated. Pasteurization, or warmth therapy, kills the virus in milk, leaving it secure to drink… At least 58 folks within the U.S. have been contaminated with hen flu, largely farm staff who turned mildly in poor health after shut contact with contaminated cows, together with their milk, or contaminated poultry.
