A researcher performs a rapid antigen test on milk from a dairy cow inoculated against bird flu in a containment building at the National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, in July.USDA/AP
The United States Department of Agriculture will begin mandatory testing of US milk supplies for bird flu. The Friday announcement was a break from the previously voluntary testing program for the bird flu virus known as H5N1.
This strain of bird flu was first found in US dairy cattle in March, according to the USDA. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement that the testing program “will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide.”
Beyond giving USDA the authority to require milk samples and launching a new testing program, the order requires herd owners to provide information to the department that will allow for virus surveillance and contact tracing. Lab technicians and veterinarians who detect H5N1 must also submit that information to the USDA. The first round of testing is slated to begin on December 16.
The New York Times reports that the virus has infected at least 58 people, most of whom have been farmworkers. Among cattle, H5N1 has been found in 720 herds across 15 states. The CDC said last month that it has seen no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus, although reports that some people appear to have contracted the virus without interacting with an infected animal has caused concern.
Experts told the Times that they were disappointed with the speed of the transition toward a mandatory testing program. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health, called the expanded testing “long overdue.” She explained, “Bulk milk testing is the primary way we are identifying outbreaks on farms, which is critical for preventing severe disease for farm workers who’ve been exposed.”
In addition to agricultural workers, the relatively small number of Americans who choose to consume raw, unpasteurized milk are at particular risk of contracting the bird flu. Nearly all milk sold in the United States is pasteurized, which eliminates the risk of contracting the virus. As Mother Jones reported earlier this year, promoting raw milk has become a trend among wellness influencers on sites like TikTok:
Raw milk influencers have a sizable following, including some whose content doesn’t center solely on diet. Take model Liz Siebert, who has over a million followers on TikTok, and who made videos last year on how she gets her raw milk from a nearby Amish farm, claiming raw milk was helping get her health back on track and reduced her allergy symptoms (most of these clips have now been deleted, but the reaction videos debunking her claims have not). Raw milk is also a big hit among fitness influencers and “crunchy” moms—parents who want food that’s “natural,” like in the good old days, when viruses killed a lot more people.
Another potential reason for alarm are the people who Donald Trump wants to put in charge of public health. As Mother Jones explained on Thursday:
Additionally, Trump is angling to bring prominent vaccine deniers to oversee agencies crucial to the nation’s bird flu response. If Trump gets his way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be led by Tom Weldon, who has sought to remove the agency’s ability to conduct vaccine safety research and has spread vaccine misinformation himself. He also tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “go wild on health” as the director of Health and Human Services. Kennedy was labeled one of the “Disinformation Dozen” for spreading misinformation about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine, and his anti-vaccine efforts contributed to a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in American Samoa. He has also stated “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective,” and is apparently a fan of raw milk, which can be a conduit for spreading bird flu.