A child with a suspected case of bird flu in California consumed raw milk before becoming ill, Marin County health officials said when providing new details on Tuesday.
Marin County Public Health said the child with a suspected case of bird flu experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk. Officials said the child has recovered, and no other family members became sick, indicating no person-to-person transmission.
Health officials in California said the child drank raw milk while visiting Marin County over Thanksgiving. Health officials warn the avian flu has passed from birds to cows and advise the public to avoid unpasteurized milk.
“Bird flu infections in humans are uncommon but there are ongoing outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry farms in the United States,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County’s public health officer, “The risk to the public remains low, as bird flu spread from person to person is rare.”
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture said pasteurization is effective at inactivating the virus popularly known as the "bird flu" in milk and other dairy products.
The Food and Drug Administration said it continues to recommend against the consumption of unpasteurized raw milk.
"Pasteurization is a proven process with a 100-year history of protecting public health and is highly effective at eliminating the dangers associated with consuming raw milk," the FDA said.
The National Institutes of Health said that as of 2022, at least 4.4% of the U.S. population reported consuming raw milk. At the time, an estimated 2.5 million adults consumed raw milk on at least a weekly basis.
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