WHO recommends drinking only pasteurized milk to avoid bird flu
Director, Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness (EPP), World Health Organization (WHO) Maria Van Kerkhove, recommended drinking only pasteurized milk to avoid exposure to the H5N1 avian influenza virus after the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) discovered the virus in a batch of raw milk several days ago.
“We recommend and have always recommended drinking pasteurized milk for a number of health benefits. This is as important for H5N1 as it is for other pathogens and other bacteria.”– Van Kerkhove emphasized during a WHO press conference, Ep reports.
When asked about the possibility of a new pandemic, in this case avian flu, Van Kerkhove ruled out this possibility for now and emphasized that “The number of human cases of H5N1 virus infection remains small in relative terms,” although he pointed out that “they are increasing throughout the world, not just in the United States.”
“We need much greater effort to reduce the risk of infection from animals to new species and people. And to do that, we have to protect the people who are at risk, the people who are exposed“, the expert explained.
At this point, Van Kerkhove noted that “no evidence of infection in humans has been observed.” “But each of these human cases is being fully investigated, including additional testing of contacts,” he said of cases recently identified in the United States.
The question is when
As Van Kerkhove explained, the WHO is always on alert when it comes to an influenza pandemic: “Because the question is not if (it will happen), but when.”he added.
“So the work we do through the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System and our Pandemic Influenza Preparedness System, as well as reviewing access to health countermeasures such as vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, prepares us to when we find ourselves in a flu pandemic situation,” he clarified.
Nevertheless, believes that “there is a need to strengthen oversight and transparency between the health, livestock and environmental sectors to better assess risks.”
However, at the moment, the director of the Department of Prevention and Preparedness for Epidemics and Pandemics assured that “the risk of avian influenza for the population is low, and for people with occupational exposure it is low to moderate.” ““This moderate level depends on the level of protection they have.”he added.
Case in California
This Wednesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a second warning to Californians not to consume raw milk produced and packaged by Fresno County-based Raw Farm due to the discovery of an avian influenza virus at a second retail outlet. sample. At the request of the state, the company voluntarily recalled the affected batch of milk from the market.
CDPHN reported that there have been no identified human cases of avian influenza associated with this product. In the meantime, the state continues to investigate the connection between the detection of avian influenza in retail raw milk and the current spread of avian influenza among dairy cows, poultry and sporadic human cases. At this time, CDPHN urges citizens not to consume contaminated raw milk.