A bird flu outbreak infecting dairy cows in the United States that has seeped into the country’s milk supply is under investigation amid growing questions about the risks to humans.
Colombia became the first country this week to restrict the import of beef and beef products from multiple U.S. states where some dairy cattle have tested positive for avian influenza as of April 15, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that samples of pasteurized milk tested positive for remnants of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that has infected dairy cows.
In an update Thursday, the agency said about one in five retail samples tested positive for HPAI viral fragments, “with a greater proportion of positive results coming from milk in areas with infected herds.”
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Despite that, FDA officials have allayed concerns about risks to consumers because of the pasteurization …