All posts tagged: milk

Children given trigger foods to treat serious milk and peanut allergies in ‘miracle’ NHS trial | UK News

Children given trigger foods to treat serious milk and peanut allergies in ‘miracle’ NHS trial | UK News

Published by skeptic

Children taking part in a “life-transforming” clinical trial have been enjoying foods which would have previously triggered severe allergic reactions, doctors have said. Some of the results have been described as “nothing less than a miracle” and could mean children with milk and peanut allergies could eat larger varieties of food as there will be less concern over accidental exposure. Five NHS hospitals have so far joined the £2.5m trial, thanks to funding from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died in 2016 after suffering a severe allergic reaction to sesame baked into a Pret baguette. Her parents, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, campaigned for a change in food laws and set up the foundation with the hope of curing allergies through research. The new clinical oral immunotherapy trial uses everyday items and is giving patients small doses of food they find allergic to build up their tolerance levels. Sibel Sonmez-Ajtai, paediatric allergy consultant and principal investigator at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This treatment is not a cure for a food allergy, but …

Milk Can’t Catch a Break

Milk Can’t Catch a Break

Published by skeptic

Milk is defined by its percentages: nonfat, 2 percent, whole. Now there is a different kind of milk percentage to keep in mind. Last week, the FDA reported that 20 percent of milk it had sampled from retailers across the country contained fragments of bird flu, raising concerns that the virus, which is spreading among animals, might be on its way to sickening humans too. The agency reassured the public that milk is still safe to drink because the pasteurization process inactivates the bird-flu virus. Still, the mere association with bird flu has left some people uneasy and led others to avoid milk altogether. That is, if they weren’t already avoiding it. Milk can’t seem to catch a break: For more than 70 years, consumption of the white liquid has steadily declined. It is no longer a staple of balanced breakfasts and bedtime routines, and milk alternatives offer the same creaminess in a latte or an iced coffee as the original stuff does. Milk was once seen as so integral to health that Americans viewed …

Cats died from bird flu ‘after consuming raw milk from infected cows’

Cats died from bird flu ‘after consuming raw milk from infected cows’

Published by skeptic

Scientists are rushing to understand the devastating impact H5N1 is having on the brains and lungs of US farmyard cats. Bird flu has now affected 39 herds of dairy cattle across nine US states. Whilst it causes a mild infection in most cows, the effects in cats are severe.  Out of 24 cats known to have contracted H5N1 on a single Texas dairy farm last month, twelve of them died. Postmortem examinations revealed signs of “severe systemic infection” in the dead animals’ bodies – including lesions on their hearts, brains, eyes, and lungs.  The cats are thought to have become infected after consuming the sick cows’ raw milk. Those that did not die experienced blindness, neurological disorders, bloody diarrhoea, and difficulty breathing, according to a study published by the US Centers for Disease Control.  The US Department of Agriculture said it had received numerous reports of death and neurological disease in cats on other affected dairy farms, but hasn’t released figures on how many of the animals have been affected. The department did however update …

FDA Update on Bird Flu Traces in Milk: What to Know About Pasteurized and Raw Milk

FDA Update on Bird Flu Traces in Milk: What to Know About Pasteurized and Raw Milk

Published by skeptic

Fragments of the virus that causes bird flu, H5N1, were found in one in five pasteurized milk samples across the US, the US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. A day later, the agency posted an update with good news, confirming that additional testing of the samples didn’t turn up active or infectious virus, which is what experts have said would be the case since pasteurization is expected to kill or inactivate bird flu virus, as it does other potentially harmful bacteria and viruses.  The FDA says the milk supply remains safe; pasteurization is a requirement for commercial milk, making up the vast majority of milk found on store shelves (though not all, depending on local laws around raw milk sales).  Still, the announcement about evidence of virus in pasteurized milk was jarring because since bird flu was first reported in US dairy cows, evidence of it had only previously been reported in unpasteurized product, which hasn’t gone through the process of heating milk to get rid of viruses and bacteria like pasteurized products have. It also suggested …

Bird flu is spreading. Are supermarket eggs and milk safe?

Bird flu is spreading. Are supermarket eggs and milk safe?

Published by skeptic

In early December, Sonoma County, California, declared an agricultural disaster when two poultry farms had to kill their entire flocks to try to stop “highly pathogenic avian influenza” — or bird flu — from spreading. This particular strain of bird flu, H5N1, had first been reported in the United States in early 2022 when escalating avian horror stories began popping up in headlines: Two zoos reported bird flu among their flocks, prompting zoos across the country to pull their birds off-display; three bald eagles were infected in Georgia and died; hundreds of infected birds were found dead at a lake in the Chicago suburbs.  Tens of millions of turkey and chickens at commercial farms have since been killed to try to suppress the outbreak.  During a time of already sustained inflation, as avian influenza cases rose, so did the cost of eggs. As reported by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, bird flu was blamed for higher egg prices in 2023, which peaked at $4.82 per dozen in January (last month, they hovered …

US commercial milk supply safe despite discovery of bird flu virus fragments

US commercial milk supply safe despite discovery of bird flu virus fragments

Published by skeptic

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said this week that about one in five U.S. commercial milk samples from a nationwide survey contained traces of bird flu virus, but it maintained that the product remains safe to consume. The public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu pathogen is minimal, the World Health Organization said Friday, adding that countries should remain vigilant and work to reduce exposure. The FDA said late Thursday that additional testing was required to determine whether a live virus was still intact in the milk samples but added that there was currently no evidence that the milk posed a danger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA said that pasteurization used in production makes the milk safe for consumption, as it heats the milk to a specific temperature to kill harmful bacteria and viruses. Further, milk from sick cows gets diverted or destroyed in the pasteurization process. The FDA said in its latest update that “to date, the retail milk studies have shown no results that would change our …

Bird flu virus traces detected in 1 in 5 pasteurized cow milk samples

Bird flu virus traces detected in 1 in 5 pasteurized cow milk samples

Published by skeptic

Genetic material from a particularly virulent strain of bird flu virus has been found in 1 in 5 samples of pasteurized milk, according to an April 25 update from the Food and Drug Administration. The tested milk came from a nationally representative sample and the positive results came from milk in areas with herds of dairy cows where Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or H5N1 infections have been detected. The FDA’s new test results indicate that the virus has spread further among dairy cows than previously indicated. As of April 25, bird flu had been detected in 33 herds in Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio, and Texas. This particular virus strain has caused a devastating outbreak in wild and commercial birds since 2021. It first spread to mammals in 2022 and can occasionally infect humans. Only two human cases of HPAI have been reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  The FDA used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing to inspect the milk samples. …

Bird flu virus found in one-fifth of US milk samples, testing shows

Bird flu virus found in one-fifth of US milk samples, testing shows

Published by skeptic

However, the FDA continues to believe that America’s commercial milk supply is safe and authorities have reaffirmed that the risk to humans remains low.  Only one person, a dairy worker from Texas, one of the affected states, has been infected. The individual developed conjunctivitis, or ‘pink eye’, after close contact with a cattle herd. There have been no reports of human-to-human transmission. Mandatory testing of dairy cows moving across state borders was implemented by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday, in a bid to contain the virus and understand the extent of the outbreak.  Texas, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio are among the eight affected states, according to USDA. A separate survey of commercial milk products has also been conducted by scientists at Ohio State University. The research collected 150 samples from around the Midwest, representing dairy processing plants in 10 different states, including some where herds have tested positive for H5N1. Genetic testing found viral fragments in 58 samples, the US health website Stat reported. The presence of H5N1 in cattle has raised …

1 in 5 samples of pasteurized milk contained virus fragments, FDA finds

1 in 5 samples of pasteurized milk contained virus fragments, FDA finds

Published by skeptic

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that traces of the bird flu virus have been found in 1 in 5 samples of pasteurized milk, providing a more detailed picture of how much of the milk supply has been affected. The tested milk came from a nationally representative sample, with more of the positive results coming from milk in areas with infected herds of dairy cows, the FDA said. A spokesperson declined to say how many samples were tested. As of Thursday, bird flu had been detected in 33 herds in eight states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio and Texas. Richard Webby, an influenza virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said the number of positive samples is consistent with numbers he’s reviewed from smaller sample sets. “But the number does seem high if the number of infected farms is indeed only 30-odd,” Webby wrote in an email. “Clearly there are more infected animals out there than being reported.” The FDA first said Tuesday that it had found viral fragments …

Arizona indicts Trump allies; bird flu found in retail milk

Arizona indicts Trump allies; bird flu found in retail milk

Published by skeptic

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top news A grand jury in Arizona has indicted 18 of former President Donald Trump’s closest advisors — including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The defendants are accused of being involved in a “fake elector” scheme that sought to keep Trump in office despite his loss in the 2020 election. The indictment alleges that after President Biden won the 2020 election, Trump’s allies conspired to give Arizona’s 11 electoral votes to Trump anyway. Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference after his defamation trial Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference after his defamation trial Jose Luis Magana/AP The 11 fake electors named in the indictment are a “who’s who of Arizona Republicans from the Trump wing of the …