USDA issues order for raw milk samples nationwide to be tested for bird flu

Raw samples nationwide will now be collected and shared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in order to test for bird flu, according to a new federal order issued by the agency on Friday.

The new federal order by the USDA includes three new requirements. Raw milk samples must now be shared upon request by dairy farms, bulk milk transporters or dairy processing facilities.

Herd owners with cattle that test positive for bird flu have to provide information that allows health officials to perform contact tracing and disease surveillance. Private laboratories and state veterinarians must now report positive bird flu test results to the USDA.

The decision comes after bird flu virus was found in samples of raw milk from a California farm, which issued a recall of all of its raw milk products earlier this week. The farm was also placed under quarantine by state health officials.

The USDA order marks the start of the agency's National Milk Testing Strategy, a program intended to boost surveillance of the nation's milk supply and dairy herds and increase understanding of how bird flu is spreading.

"Since the first ... detection in livestock, USDA has collaborated with our federal, state and industry partners to swiftly and diligently identify affected herds and respond accordingly," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. "This new milk testing strategy will build on those steps to date and will provide a roadmap for states to protect the health of their dairy herds ... and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus' spread nationwide."

In April, reports emerged of bird flu fragments found in samples of pasteurized milk.

The fragments, however, were inactive remnants of the virus; they could not cause infection because the commercial milk supply undergoes pasteurization.

The USDA has previously warned of the possible dangers associated with drinking raw, unpasteurized milk due to elevated risks of foodborne illness.

The risks of raw milk as it relates to bird flu were highlighted on Tuesday when Raw Farm, LLC voluntarily recalled all raw whole milk and cream products still on store shelves after multiple detections of bird flu virus in the company's milk and dairy supply, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Officials have also placed the farm under quarantine and suspended any new distribution of its raw milk, cream, kefir, butter and cheese products produced on or after Nov. 27.

As of Friday, no human cases of bird flu have been linked to products from Raw Farm.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it considers exposure to raw milk without personal protective equipment a "high-risk exposure event" for bird flu.

The U.S. has been facing an outbreak of bird flu, or avian influenza, since April, when the first human case was reported.

As of Thursday, 58 human cases have been confirmed in seven states, according to CDC data. California has the highest number of cases with 32.

Almost all confirmed cases have had direct contact with infected cattle or infected livestock. So far, all bird flu cases in the U.S. have been mild, and patients have all recovered after receiving antiviral medication.

Signs and symptoms of infection in humans often include sore throat, cough, fever, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle or body aches, fatigue and shortness of breath. Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

Infections can range from no symptoms or mild illness, such as flu-like symptoms, to more severe illness, such as pneumonia that could require hospitalizations, the CDC says.