California investigating possible case of bird flu in child who drank raw milk

THE RESULTS OF THOSE TESTS CAN BE ANNOUNCED. WELL, THE OWNER OF A CALIFORNIA DAIRY FARM SAYS THAT HE’S COOPERATING WITH THE STATE SINCE HIS RAW MILK OPERATIONS WERE SUSPENDED. THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE PUT RAW FARM OF FRESNO UNDER QUARANTINE FROM THEIR HERDS TO BOTTLED PRODUCTS AFTER THEIR RAW MILK TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE BIRD FLU VIRUS. KCRA 3’S MICHELLE BANDUR TALKED WITH THE OWNER, WHO SAYS RAW MILK IS GETTING A BAD RAP. THE SACRAMENTO CO-OP OFFERS THREE BRANDS OF RAW MILK, INCLUDING PRODUCTS FROM FRESNO’S RAW FARM. UNDER SCRUTINY BY THE STATE FOR MILK TESTING, POSITIVE FOR THE BIRD FLU. THIS IS THE NATURAL PROCESS. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT’S EXTRAORDINARY. SOMETHING I DIDN’T DO WRONG OR RIGHT. IT’S MOTHER NATURE AND WHAT SHE’S DOING WITH VIRUSES, WHICH IS A NATURAL PROCESS THAT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR. IN A ZOOM INTERVIEW, RAW FIRM OWNER MARK MCAFEE SAYS HIS DAIRY FARMS WITH 1700 COWS ARE COOPERATING WITH STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS AND SUSPENDING DISTRIBUTION WHILE UNDER QUARANTINE. THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING A FARMER CAN DO TO AVOID A SWEEP OR A WAVE OF AVIAN FLU IN COWS. YOU’RE GOING TO GET IT. YOU GOT TO LIVE THROUGH IT, AND THEN YOUR COWS ARE GOING TO BE IMMUNE. AS PART OF THE STATE’S BIRD FLU RESPONSE, THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE HAS RAMPED UP TESTING OF RAW MILK FROM DAIRY FARMS. JUST LAST WEEK, SACRAMENTO CO-OP AND OTHER STORES PULLED TWO BATCHES OF RAW MILK, WHICH WAS VOLUNTARILY RECALLED AFTER THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH FOUND THE BIRD FLU VIRUS IN THE MILK. THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL REPORTS 29 CASES OF BIRD FLU IN CALIFORNIA THIS YEAR, 28 OF THOSE CASES HAD DIRECT CONTACT WITH INFECTED COWS. THE OTHER CASE, A CHILD, DID NOT AND NONE HAVE BEEN LINKED TO DRINKING RAW MILK. BUT HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE WARNED DRINKING RAW MILK CAN POSE HEALTH RISKS DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE MILK CARRYING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS BACTERIA LIKE E COLI, SALMONELLA AND LISTERIA. THE RAW MILK DOESN’T GO THROUGH THE PASTEURIZATION PROCESS, WHICH HEATS THE MILK AT HIGH TEMPERATURES TO KILL THE GERMS. MCAFEE SAYS THEY’LL BE BACK IN BUSINESS IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. WE ARE BEING EXTREMELY ADAPTIVE AND RESILIENT, AND WE’RE TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER DAIRY SOMEPLACE ELSE THAT WE CAN CONVERT TO RAMP UP PRODUCTION FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS UNTIL OUR DAIRY HAS FULL HERD IMMUNITY. SACRAMENTO CO-OP SAYS CUSTOMERS DID RETURN THE RECALLED MILK AND NO ONE REPORTED FEELING SICK. IN SACRAMENTO, MICHELLE BANDUR, KCRA THREE NEWS. NOW, MCAFEE MAY PLAY A ROLE IN NATIONAL POLICY. HE SAYS RFK JR. IS ON TRACK TO RUN THE FDA IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKED HIM TO APPLY TO BE AN ADVISOR ON RAW MILK POLICY AND STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT. HE SAYS RAW MILK HASN’T RECEIVED THE RESEARCH AND CARE IT