Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Inactive Bird Flu Virus Fragments Found In Pasteurized Milk: FDA
AP: Remnants Of Bird Flu Virus Found In Pasteurized Milk, FDA Says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows. The agency stressed that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue. “To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said in a statement. (Aleccia, 4/23)
Stat: H5N1 Flu Virus Outbreak In Cows Likely Started Earlier Than Thought
The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cows in the United States has likely been going on for months longer than was previously realized, and has probably spread more widely across the country than the confirmed outbreaks would imply, according to an analysis of genetic sequences that were released Sunday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Branswell, 4/23)
CIDRAP: Scientists Find Clues In Early Analysis Of Newly Shared US H5N1 Avian Flu Sequences
Analysis of the hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and internal genes hints that the virus hasn't changed much from its introduction into cattle in late 2023 or 2024, said Michael Worobey, head of the ecology and evolutionary biology department at the University of Arizona at Tucson. There's a strong possibility that the virus has been circulating undetected for months, even before a mysterious illness began affecting dairy cows in February, Worobey said. "This reveals massive gaps in our pathogen and surveillance system." (Schnirring, 4/23)
CNN: Scientists Say USDA Is Sharing Too Little Data Too Slowly On H5N1 Flu
When the US Department of Agriculture announced late Sunday that it had publicly posted new data from its investigation into a bird flu outbreak in cattle, scientists eagerly searched a well-known platform used globally to share the genetic sequences of viruses. The sequences weren’t there. As of Tuesday morning, they still aren’t. (Goodman, 4/23)
Stat: Can We Make Enough H5N1 Bird Flu Vaccine If There's A Pandemic?
The unsettling reality of H5N1 bird flu circulating in dairy cow herds in multiple parts of the United States is raising anxiety levels about whether this dangerous virus, which has haunted the sleep of people who worry about influenza pandemics for more than 20 years, could be on a path to acquiring the ability to easily infect people. (Branswell, 4/24)
