“preliminary results of egg inoculation tests on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-positive retail milk samples show that pasteurization is effective in inactivating HPAI.

This additional testing did not detect any live, infectious virus. These results reaffirm our…

No live #H5N1 virus found from PCR + milk in a smaller targeted sample per U.S. FDA.

“The FDA is further assessing retail samples from its study of 297 samples of retail dairy products from 38 states.”

fda.gov/food/alerts-ad…

We are monitoring the H5N1 virus situation closely and wanted to share what information we at Biobot have at the moment:

1. Listening to an ASTHO - IDSA - CSTE webinar on #H5N1 #birdflu in cows.
Of interest so far:
— Dept. of Agriculture is monitoring feral swine; no detections of H5 so far.
— in the 'small number' of samples tested to date, doesn't look like cows are shedding virus thru feces.

If you work with farm animals thought to be infected with #H5N1 , CDC recommends you wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and wash your hands after handling their litter, feces, or milk. More on how to protect yourself from #birdflu : bit.ly/4aLr7qD

Such a monumental success 👏🏽

Thanks to immunization, a child born today is 40% more likely to see their fifth birthday than a child born 50 years ago. #HumanlyPossible

Interesting tidbits from a press conf today on #H5N1 #birdflu by US agencies
—NIAID-funded researchers found commercial milk that was PCR-pos for H5, but could not grow live virus from it. (Good)
—USDA & CDC admitted some farmers won't let them test.
statnews.com/2024/04/24/h5n…

Fragments of Bird Flu Virus Discovered in Milk

The milk poses virtually no risk to consumers, experts said. But the finding suggests that the outbreak in dairy cows is wider than has been known.

nytimes.com/2024/04/23/hea…

The pandemic cost 7 million lives, but talks to prevent a repeat stall

washingtonpost.com/health/2024/04…

I think it is important that we start testing asymptomatic cattle, both dairy and beef.

Important to start genomic surveillance in Mexico and Canada, the two largest export markets for US cattle (in that order).

If confirmed that #H5N1 has been circulating much longer in cows (particularly given reports of asympt + cows), our current surveillance net should be larger, both geographically & temporally (testing, past human illnesses etc). Our case definition should be broader.

Very important to note here that qPCR positives are not the same as 'virus particles.' It's much easier to detect viral RNA by qPCR than it is to detect infectious virus or intact virus particles (as the article correctly notes).

This finding does have some big implications:

Dr. Syra Madad & Jason Kindrachuk, PhD Crossing Species: The Rising Threat of H5N1 Bird Flu in the U.S. ow.ly/V9Jo50RlK44 NABC/K-State CVERA USDA APHIS NJACCHO Marcus Plescia @astho Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors NJPHA (NJ Public Health Association) NACCHO National Rural Health Association Scott Becker @aphl

HHS Marks Earth Day with Programming to Reduce Sector-Wide Emissions and Tools to Address Extreme Heat

hhs.gov/about/news/202…

USDA shares recent H5N1 avian flu sequences amid more dairy herd outbreaks cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenz…

Native Americans have shorter life spans, and it's not just due to lack of health care

www-cbsnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbsnew…

Scientists Fault Federal Response to Bird Flu Outbreaks on Dairy Farms

Officials have shared little information, saying the outbreak was limited. But asymptomatic cows in North Carolina have changed the assessment.

nytimes.com/2024/04/19/hea…

Kudos to CDC for putting out these technical summaries at a steady frequent pace covering what we know and what work is being done. These situation reports are critical for fostering a unified public understanding of #H5N1 risk level & triggers for greater concern.

New update from CDC: Avian Influenza A(H5N1) U.S. Situation Update and CDC Activities | Avian Influenza (Flu)

Current Situation Highlights Importance of Preventive Measures for People with Exposures

cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/s…