Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Two Bird Flu Vaccines Are Ready For Humans, If Needed
The U.S. has two vaccines ready should the strain of bird flu circulating in dairy cows begin spreading easily to people, federal health officials said Wednesday. They could begin shipping doses widely within weeks, if needed. ... At a briefing Wednesday, government health officials said they are preparing for a potential scenario of H5N1 jumping from animal to person — or person to person. (Lovelace Jr., 5/1)
Testing continues on a variety of dairy products —
In updates today from federal agencies involved in the response to H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in dairy cows, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said egg inoculation tests on cottage cheese and sour cream that tested positive for traces of the virus traces showed no live virus. (Schnirring, 5/1)
Raw milk, in the best of times, “is one of the riskiest foods that we have,” said Benjamin Chapman, a professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University. But with cases of avian influenza, or bird flu, detected in dairy cows, it could potentially be even riskier now, health experts warn. Nearly all of the dairy milk sold in stores is pasteurized, and testing by the F.D.A. has so far shown that this process inactivates the avian influenza virus H5N1. (Callahan and Blum, 5/1)
Another upload of genetic sequence data from the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle has exacerbated the scientific community’s frustration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the agency again failed to include basic information needed to track how the virus is changing as it spreads. (Branswell, 5/2)
On the beef supply —
Tests of ground beef purchased at retail stores have been negative for bird flu so far, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday, after studying meat samples collected from states with herds infected by this year's unprecedented outbreak of the virus in cattle. The results "reaffirm that the meat supply is safe," the department said in a statement published late Wednesday after the testing was completed. (Tin, 5/1)
More than 16,000 pounds of raw ground beef are under recall, the USDA announced Wednesday, due to possible E. coli contamination. The recall was issued by Cargill Meat Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based company that distributes meat around the country. The recalled beef was shipped to Walmart stores nationwide, according to the USDA. (Martichoux, 5/1)
