The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to actively monitor the ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, also known as bird flu, and says the public health risk remains low.
Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Mayo Clinic's Clinical Virology Laboratory, said scientists and public health officials have known about bird flu for decades.
“What's different today is that we are seeing the largest outbreak of avian influenza among wild birds, poultry and backyard bird flocks since 2020,” he said.
“The virus has also been found in certain mammal species and recently in dairy cows, which is unprecedented and unique. Every time we see a virus jump from birds to mammals, our concern is that the virus will adapt more and more to infect humans and be transmitted efficiently between humans,” Dr Binnicker commented.
Avian flu has been detected in dairy cows' milk, raising concerns it could spread to humans, but the Food and Drug Administration says it has found no traces of the live virus in dairy products sold to the public.
“The good news is that pasteurization, the process used in the United States and many other countries, inactivates avian flu. The milk we drink is safe as long as it's pasteurized. And all animal products, including eggs, beef, and chicken, are safe to eat if they're cooked to the recommended internal temperature,” says Dr. Binnicker.
Watch Dr. Matthew Binnicker talk about bird flu.
Food Preparation Tips
People can take steps to ensure that their food is safe from viral and bacterial pathogens.
“As with any food-related infectious disease, it's very important to cook food to the recommended internal temperatures listed on the CDC website so that viruses, like influenza, as well as bacteria and parasites that may cause infection in humans, can be inactivated,” says Dr. Binnicker.
The CDC recommends using a food thermometer to ensure food is cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature.
The minimum internal temperature varies depending on the type of meat.
Beef, bison, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops up to 145 F; ground meats and sausages up to 160 F; chicken up to 165 F
When handling raw meat or poultry, always wash your hands with soap and water and sanitize cooking surfaces.
Notes about birds
Dr Binnicker said millions of birds are infected with avian flu and that the risk to humans is low because the virus has not yet adapted to humans, but he recommended that people who spend time outdoors or work with birds take precautions.
“If you're in contact with birds through a backyard bird flock or a chicken farm and you see sick or dead birds, you should wear an N95 mask. You should also wear eye protection and gloves,” Dr. Binnicker says. “Most importantly, you should let your state or local public health officials know what's going on in your chicken farm or backyard bird flock.”
Avian flu testing
Avian flu does not normally infect humans, but rare cases have occurred, and infection can range from no symptoms to mild illness such as conjunctivitis to very severe and potentially fatal, according to the CDC.
“If you develop symptoms, especially after coming into contact with sick or dead birds, get tested for influenza and notify your doctor and local public health authorities,” he says. “Fortunately, the influenza tests we currently use for human influenza strains should test positive for any individual infected with avian influenza. Current tests do not definitively tell you if an individual is infected with avian influenza.”
The CDC is working with diagnostic test manufacturers and clinical laboratories to develop tests that can specifically identify avian flu, and Dr. Binnicker says those tools should be available in the next few months.
Dr. Matthew Binnicker is a microbiologist in the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
This article originally appeared on Mayo Clinic News Network.
