Bird Flu in Dairy Cows and Meat Safety in the U.S.

SOURCE www.yahoo.com
The U.S. government is testing ground beef samples for bird flu in states with outbreaks in dairy cows but remains confident in the safety of the meat supply. The risk to public health is low overall but higher for those exposed to infected animals.

Key Points

  • H5N1 virus found in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states
  • Testing ground beef samples for viral particles
  • Cooking meat to safe internal temperature can kill bacteria and viruses

Pros

  • Government is taking steps to verify the safety of milk and meat
  • Low overall public health risk according to CDC and WHO
  • Preliminary results show pasteurization kills the virus in milk

Cons

  • Risk is higher for those with exposure to infected animals
  • Colombia has restricted import of beef from affected U.S. states