SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Health officials in California have reported the presence of the bird flu virus in a retail sample of raw milk sourced from a Fresno dairy.
The positive test result was obtained on November 21 as part of routine screening conducted by health officers in Santa Clara County, according to the state Department of Public Health.
In response to this finding, the dairy known as Raw Farm has initiated a voluntary recall for a specific batch of cream top whole raw milk, which carries a best buy date of November 27.
Consumers have been advised to return any remaining product to the store from which it was purchased, as stated by the health department.
The health department reassured the public that pasteurized milk is safe for consumption.
In a separate but related incident reported on Friday, health officials confirmed a case of bird flu in a child from California, marking it as the first instance of the virus being documented in a minor in the United States.
The child experienced mild symptoms and was treated with antiviral medication, and health officials reported that the recovery is underway, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has noted that there have been at least 55 confirmed cases of bird flu within the U.S. this year, with 29 of those occurring in California.
Most of the infections were among farmworkers, who reported only mild symptoms.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been increasingly prevalent among wild birds, poultry, and various other animals across the United States over the past few years.
The virus began to spread among U.S. dairy cattle in March, with California emerging as the epicenter of this outbreak, as evidenced by the detection of 402 infected herds in the state since August.
The ongoing situation continues to be monitored diligently by health officials as they work to mitigate the risks associated with this virus.