California health officials said the bird flu virus was detected in a batch of raw milk from a dairy farm and have urged the public not to consume the product.
The virus, also known as Avian influenza A (H5N1), was detected in one batch of cream top, whole raw milk produced by Raw Farm in Fresno County, the California Department of Public Health said on Sunday. The company issued a voluntary recall of the milk product, which has a best buy date of Nov. 27.
No one has been reported sick, the agency said.
"Out of an abundance of caution, and due to the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry, and sporadic human cases, consumers should not consume any of the affected raw milk," a news release states. "Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase. CDPH is also notifying retailers to remove the affected raw milk from their shelves."
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The county contacted stores on Friday to alert them to pull the raw milk from shelves. The test results were confirmed by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System at the University of California, Davis.
The Santa Clara Public Health Laboratory has been testing raw milk products from various retail stores as a "second line of consumer protection," the CDPH said.
Raw milk is not pasteurized, a process that includes heating to a high temperature to kill harmful germs. Public health officials warn against drinking the product, which can result in illness and serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Touching the eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection, officials said. Symptoms include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever.
"It's important to understand that raw milk can be a source of foodborne illness," the CDC said. "While good practices on farms can reduce contamination, they cannot guarantee safety from harmful germs."
Mark McAfee, the owner of Raw Farm, told the Los Angeles Times that the tests he and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have conducted on his milk, since he started voluntary testing in late April, have all been negative.
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"In the last two days CDFA has collected extra dairy samples from our farm bulk tanks and even retail samples and they are all officially Negative for HPAI," he wrote in a statement. HPAI is the acronym for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Raw Farm. In a video posted on its YouTube channel, a farm spokesperson noted that the recall was voluntary and that no one has been reported ill.
"We decided to just do the right thing and not have any cause or concern and just recall it," the spokesperson said.
Last month, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, whom President-elect Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, accused the Food and Drug Administration of the "aggressive suppression" of raw milk.
"FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can't be patented by Pharma," he wrote on X. "If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags."
Since October, California has reported 29 confirmed human cases of bird flu, 28 of which involved direct contact with infected dairy cows. Other states have also seen surges of the bird flu in recent months.
Earlier this month, the Hawaiian Department of Agriculture (HDOA) reported that bird flu was confirmed in a backyard flock of various birds in Central Oahu. At least 10 birds – including ducks, geese and a zebra dove – were reported dead on the property on Nov. 12 and were then sent for confirmatory testing.
Arizona reported its first bird flu outbreak on Nov. 15 in poultry at a commercial farm in Pinal County.
Fox News Digital's Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.
