“We want to emphasize right now that because we are seeing an uptick in this Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza – we know it’s affecting dairy cattle at this time – it is not a good idea to drink raw milk.”
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian says people who consume raw or unpasteurized milk are at risk of contracting illnesses.
“This is our standard recommendation because we know without pasteurization, there can be risks of other bacteria and viruses being transmitted like salmonella, E coli and listeria, and pasteurization kills all of those things.”
She says people who are part of raw milk or farm co-ops should understand sound safety practices can reduce the chance of raw milk contamination, but only pasteurization eliminates that.
“Data has shown that pasteurization does not reduce milk’s nutritional value and it does kill those harmful bacteria and viruses.”
As officials work to contain the outbreak and understand how its transmitted, they emphasize the risk to humans is low although there has been one human case reported in Texas with mild symptoms.
“This is not something the public needs to lose sleep over other than to make sure you’re drinking pasteurized milk which is safe.”
Only pasteurized milk is sold in stores and provided to children in school lunches.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends taking the following steps to reduce risk:
- Choose pasteurized milk and dairy products.
- Refrigerate milk, dairy products and other perishable food at 40⁰F or colder.
- Throw away expired food, including milk and dairy products.
For more information, visit CDC.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk.
