Headline: Amid Bird Flu Spread, Biden Administration Seeks to Reassure Public About Milk Safety

The Biden administration and the dairy industry are scrambling to reassure Americans about the safety of the milk supply in light of the spread of bird flu to U.S. cattle herds. This follows the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement that one in five retail milk samples tested positive for fragments of the bird flu virus.

Despite official assurances, the discovery of fragments indicates the virus may be more widespread than initial testing suggests. To date, only one person has been confirmed to have contracted the virus, a Texas dairy worker who developed conjunctivitis. Federal officials and industry leaders maintain that the presence of inactive fragments of the H5N1 virus strain in consumer milk is not a significant cause for concern. They emphasize that pasteurization is effective in neutralizing the virus.

However, as bird flu has never before spread to cattle, public health experts warn that many unknowns remain. They, some farmers, and lawmakers are urging the government to rapidly expand testing and research and to make that data publicly available.