The outbreak of bird flu in American dairy cows has not slowed down in recent weeks, with nine states reporting cows infected with the H5N1 virus. The virus does not normally jump from cows to humans, but in April a farm worker in Texas tested positive for bird flu. On May 7, health influencer Dr Paul Saladino posted a video to his X account promoting feeding infants raw milk. The post garnered over 90,000 views and sparked fierce reactions before being removed the next day. Saladino regularly advocates for “animal-based” diets using raw milk, including on his TikTok channel, where he has over half a million followers. Sales of raw milk are on the rise in the US, fueled by wellness and conservative influencers on social media. Posts promoting unpasteurised dairy products have received millions of views, and celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow have touted its supposed benefits.
Health officials have long warned against consuming raw milk products because they can contain germs that pose serious health risks. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that infants, children and pregnant women face a higher risk of illness if they consume dairy products that have not been pasteurised, a process that uses heat to kill dangerous organisms.
“Don’t consume unpasteurised dairy products,” Dr Nidhi Kumar recently told CBS New York. “I know there are people who are really in favour of that, but this is not the time to do it”, he added.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stepped up their warnings after outbreaks of the H5N1 avian flu spread through dairy farms in several US states this spring.
High levels of the virus have been found in raw milk from infected herds, and authorities have warned people to avoid milk that has not been commercially processed. Tests confirm that pasteurisation kills the virus, and the FDA considers the commercial milk supply to be safe.
Americans consumed raw milk until the late 1800s when pasteurisation became common practice. At the time, it caused hundreds of outbreaks of tuberculosis and bacterial infections, researchers say. Numerous states began mandating pasteurisation, and the federal government eventually banned interstate sales of unpasteurized milk in the late 1980s. In some states, the sale of raw milk is prohibited.
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