Raw milk, to me, is a very scary thing.
I even recommend those who are feeding milk to their calves to pasteurize it.
SimonSkafar / Getty Images
Why Is Raw Milk Risky?
SimonSkafar / Getty Images
Testing has shown that pasteurization is effective in inactivating the bird flu virus.
Raw milk contributes to hundreds of infections in the U.S. each year.
I think its a step backward to continue to promote unpasteurized milk.
I think thehealth benefits do not outweigh the disease riskbenefits, saidScott R.R.
Can You Get Bird Flu From Raw Milk?
Im very concerned about non-pasteurized milk forSalmonellaandE.
But Im not really that concerned about avian influenza, Haskell said.
Cattle may be infected with avian influenza.
And if theyre drinking raw milk, they may be drinking live virus in that milk.
What This Means For You
Many public health agencies recommend avoiding raw milk.
Food and Drug Administration.Questions and answers regarding milk safety during highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks.
- doi:10.3201/eid3007.240508
Food and Drug Administration.Updates on highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Raw milk questions and answers.
2022;150:e183.
doi:10.1017/S0950268822001649
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.H5N1 bird flu: current situation summary.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bird flu virus infections in humans.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevention and antiviral treatment of bird flu viruses in people.
