That’s the reason why most people drink pasteurized milk. Those who don’t will soon find out about the dangers of raw milk.
Yes, but they will not be the only ones affected. Mutations and transmissions are not so tidy.
Pasteurization is pretty effective at killing stuff. That’s literally what it’s meant to do.
Mutations and transmission require a vast array of infections to net appreciable results. I don’t think the rare raw milk drinkers will likely be a huge problem.
Sure, pasteurization works. But then there’s the forest…
A multi-state outbreak of HPAI A(H5N1) bird flu in dairy cows was first reportedon March 25, 2024. This is the first time that these bird flu viruses were found in cattle. CDC confirmed one human HPAI A(H5N1) infection that had exposure to dairy cattle in Texas that were presumed to be infected with the virus. While thought to be rare, this exposure to HPAI A(H5N1) bird flu virus is the first instance of likely mammal to human transmission.
Do they even sell raw milk in stores? I assume you need to get this straight from a farm? And I’m a bit shocked if 4.4 percent of the US is getting their milk from farms. That’s like what ~12million people?
Do they even sell raw milk in stores?
The FDA bans it, so it can’t cross state lines, but they don’t have authority to ban stuff internal to a state. A handful of states allow raw milk from in-state cows to be sold in stores.
This article has a map.
Makes me think back to 2016 When a lawmaker fought to legalize raw milk, and got sick when he drank raw milk in celebration of passing the legislation.
https://www.eater.com/2016/3/9/11186922/raw-milk-lawmakers-ill-after-drinking-raw-milk
Most people get them from farmers’ markets. There are supposedly health advantages to it, but I’d assume this would be the case from buying from a smaller responsible farm over a corporate factory farm anyhow—regardless of whether it’s pasteurized or not.
That’s crazy. I don’t usually drink milk so I never noticed. But every now and then I will make White Russians. Now I’ll need to keep an eye out. (Or will kahlua and vodka kill this stuff?)
Back in my day, people read articles instead of just looking at the title and commenting on it.
Yes, but the idea of pasteurisation is to get the amount of surviving microorganisms down to less than one in a million or better (depending on local definitions). The human body can then easily take care of the few remaining viruses.
Any kind of pasteurisation is not about eliminating 100% of MOs. It is always a compromise, but also always on the side of “better safe than sorry”.
Get fuckin hyped for the end of the world, maybe it’ll finish us off this time.
No more of these half measures
Mammal-to-mammal transmission raises new concerns about the virus’s ability to spread.
On March 16, cows on a Texas dairy farm began showing symptoms of a mysterious illness now known to be H5N1 bird flu. Their symptoms were nondescript, but their milk production dramatically dropped and turned thick and creamy yellow. The next day, cats on the farm that had consumed some of the raw milk from the sick cows also became ill. While the cows would go on to largely recover, the cats weren’t so lucky. They developed depressed mental states, stiff body movements, loss of coordination, circling, copious discharge from their eyes and noses, and blindness. By March 20, over half of the farm’s 24 or so cats died from the flu. …
The early outbreak data from the Texas farm suggests the virus is getting better and better at jumping to mammals, and data from elsewhere shows the virus is spreading widely in its newest host. On March 25, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of H5N1 in a dairy herd in Texas, marking the first time H5N1 had ever been known to cross over to cows. Since then, the USDA has tallied infections in at least 34 herds in nine states: Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Idaho, Ohio, South Dakota, North Carolina, and Colorado.
In the meantime, it’s definitely not the time to start drinking raw cow’s milk. While drinking raw milk is always dangerous because it carries the threat of various nasty bacterial infections, H5N1 also appears to be infectious in raw milk. And, unlike other influenza viruses, H5N1 has the potential to infect organs beyond the lungs and respiratory tract, as seen in the cats. The authors of the new study note that a 2019 consumer survey found that 4.4 percent of adults in the US consumed raw milk more than once in the previous year, suggesting more public awareness of the dangers of raw milk is necessary.
Just great.
I think I read something saying that they don’t know for sure.
googles
The FDA says that they don’t know yet and don’t recommend eating it.
Because of the limited information available about the possible transmission of H5N1 virus via raw milk, the FDA continues to recommend that industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products, including raw milk cheese, made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza viruses or exposed to those infected with avian influenza viruses.
God dammit, we’ve got cowvid infecting cats now
