California child tests negative for bird flu, but health officials continue to warn against raw milk
Health officials in Marin County, California are warning against raw milk consumption after a child there was suspected to have contracted bird flu after consuming raw milk.
However, in an update Wednesday, the child appears to have tested negative for bird flu, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
"The child has recovered, and no other family members became sick, indicating no person-to person transmission," Marin County Public Health officials said in their initial statement.
Health officials have long warned against drinking raw milk, even prior to the ongoing bird flu outbreak among livestock. Raw milk doesn't undergo pasteurization – a process that has been shown to kill bacteria and viruses, including bird flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that consuming raw milk can lead to gastrointestinal distress and, in rare cases, more severe illness such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis.
California is dealing with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, with 32 human cases confirmed in the state so far, all but one of which officials say originated from exposure to sick cattle.
California health officials last week announced that it had "secured a broad, voluntary recall" of raw milk and cream products from supplier Raw Farm, LLC after it tested positive for the virus "at both retail and dairy storage and bottling sites."
It’s not yet clear whether people can become infected with bird flu from drinking raw milk, but studies in cats and mice suggest the animals can get sick from drinking contaminated raw milk.
There have been at least 60 human cases of bird flu so far this year in the U.S. – 58 confirmed by the CDC and an additional two cases reported by Arizona health officials. Almost all of the U.S. cases were reported in farm workers who were exposed to infected livestock.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect subsequent information that the child in question tested negative for bird flu, and to include recently reported bird flu cases in Arizona.
