Feds to expand bird flu testing in slaughterhouses
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Federal officials are stepping up surveillance of bird flu in dairy cattle being culled for consumption. Photo: Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Federal officials are expanding their testing for bird flu in slaughterhouses, specifically focusing on removing infected dairy cattle that were being culled for consumption, they told reporters on Tuesday.
Why it matters: It's part of ongoing efforts to ensure the food supply remains safe as officials race to tamp down the spread of the virus among dairy herds and poultry farms.
Why it matters: Officials on Tuesday said they are focusing on identifying infected animals and removing them from processing lines before the virus can be spread.
- They'll also use the opportunity for contact tracing and epidemiological research.
Catch up quick: The USDA has already conducted three studies aimed at showing that beef is safe to eat.
- In one, it found that cooking burgers to at least a medium temperature, or 145 degrees Fahrenheit, killed the virus.
- Cooking to rare, or 120 degrees, substantially weakened the virus, they said.
Zoom in: The agency has inspectors on-site at all slaughterhouses to determine whether beef cattle are fit for human consumption both before and after slaughter, Emilio Esteban, USDA's undersecretary for food safety, said during a call with reporters.
- The surveillance will expand to roughly 800 culled dairy cows, a number deemed a "nationally representative sample," he said.
Between the lines: Food and Drug Administration officials also presented new evidence Tuesday that pasteurization killed live virus in milk, as well as cream cheese, hard cheese, ice cream and butter products.
- An analysis of 167 products processed in 27 states in June and July found 17% were found to have traces of H5N1 but no live virus, said Steve Grube, the chief medical officer for FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The FDA continues to recommend against consuming raw milk and is studying whether processes such as aging raw milk cheese are effective in inactivating the virus.
Threat level: U.S. officials continue to say the threat to humans from the virus is low, even though World Health Organization recently added bird flu, as well as mpox, to its watchlist of pathogens that could grow into pandemics.
- U.S. federal officials said Tuesday they continue to believe the ongoing spread of bird flu among America's dairy cattle originate from a single spillover event in the Texas panhandle at the end of last year.
