A top bird flu scientist has declared he is no longer drinking cow's milk USA

hollydolly

hollydolly

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I've studied bird flu for 20 years and here's why I stopped drinking milk..as FDA begin testing dairy cows for deadly virus​

  • Dr Rick Bright, a former HHS director, says he will no longer drink milk from cows
  • He is concerned about bird flu being detected in samples from grocery stores

A top bird flu scientist has declared he is no longer drinking cow's milk amid the alarming outbreak in cattle across American farms.

Dr Rick Bright, a virologist and former director at the Department of Health and Human Services, revealed his decision on X, warning that the virus — which has infected two Americans so far — could still be active in milk.

'Minor inconvenience to pause my milk consumption while waiting for data,' he said. 'Delayed transparency influenced my decision.

'Having worked with this virus for nearly three decades, I've learnt to respect it and its surprises.'

The worrying comments come days after the FDA revealed traces of the virus have been detected in grocery store milk, with separate testing in Ohio suggesting nearly 40 percent of all milks in stores could be affected.

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A total of 33 farms have reported cases of bird flu in cattle to date​



I've studied bird flu for 20 years. This is why I'm not drinking milk
 

This is what I found:

“As noted by USDA and some press reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, the presence of the virus has been detected in raw milk. Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles.”
 
911 said:
This is what I found:

“As noted by USDA and some press reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, the presence of the virus has been detected in raw milk. Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles.”
Click to expand...
likely but not definitely...
 
911 said:
This is what I found:

“As noted by USDA and some press reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, the presence of the virus has been detected in raw milk. Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles.”
Click to expand...
I understand it is difficult to tell active virus from inactive.
 
hollydolly said:
likely but not definitely...
Click to expand...
According to a study funded by the NIH, "Pasteurization is a very robust and reliable virus inactivation method with a broad effectiveness against known blood‐borne pathogens and emerging or potentially emerging viruses. Pasteurization has proven itself to be a highly effective step, in combination with other complementary safety measures, toward assuring the virus safety of final product."

The issue that the FDA is pointing out is "the presence of viral particles". Only certain viral particles can cause symptoms, but imo, Dr. Bright is making much ado about nothing.
 
911 said:
This is what I found:

“As noted by USDA and some press reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, the presence of the virus has been detected in raw milk. Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles.”
Click to expand...
Good find. Inactivating a virus renders it incapable of reproducing, even though presence of viral "parts"(proteins) are still observable.
 
I guess that is his perogative and he can make his own risk judgments - and anyone can stop their intake of dairy any time for any reason, if they want to.

I dont think there is any real life risk though and will be continuing my own dairy intake.
 
I just carry on as usual, I am not going to paranoid over what one man reportedly said. If you start thinking of all the risks in life you would stop living. I just aim to be sensible and hope for the best.
 
Rose65 said:
I just carry on as usual, I am not going to paranoid over what one man reportedly said. If you start thinking of all the risks in life you would stop living. I just aim to be sensible and hope for the best.
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up to you.. but he's not ''just one man''... He's a virologist and former director at the Department of Health and Human Services,..so I suspect he knows what he's talking about!
 
Interesting thread, @hollydolly! I haven't drunk cow's milk in years. Have switched to almond milk and it works just fine for me. I do think that the pasteurization of milk is a valuable way to reduce the active virus. Since it is a bird flu, it typically starts with birds, right? And one would think for it to jump from the bird to cattle/animals, there would be a delay and not all animals get it.

If there was an outbreak, and with so many children drinking milk, wouldn't you think there would be an outcry from parents' etc? The FDA would be hard at work doing a recall, asking manufacturers to test samples before selling, or stopping the production. But it's not happening (from what I gather), so I also think Bright is overplaying it.
 
palides2021 said:
Interesting thread, @hollydolly! I haven't drunk cow's milk in years. Have switched to almond milk and it works just fine for me. I do think that the pasteurization of milk is a valuable way to reduce the active virus. Since it is a bird flu, it typically starts with birds, right? And one would think for it to jump from the bird to cattle/animals, there would be a delay and not all animals get it.

If there was an outbreak, and with so many children drinking milk, wouldn't you think there would be an outcry from parents' etc? The FDA would be hard at work doing a recall, asking manufacturers to test samples before selling, or stopping the production. But it's not happening (from what I gather), so I also think Bright is overplaying it.
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well, I know an expert when I read one....
 
His opinion isnt supported by the general body of expert opinion though - like palides said, there has been no public warnings, or recalls or calls for extra testing or outbreaks of infection etc

of course he is welcome to err on side of safety and not drink cows milk himself if he wants to.

But I dont think there will be many others doing likewise.
 
Just had a thought & was wondering, but if the virus is in milk & that milk has been pasteurized ... wouldn't it have been weakened if not killed? Could it act as an accidental vaccine if you drank it? If so, I guess the people making vaccines may not be making money on this.

Found the following on HHS website that explains inactivated & live vaccines.

Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease. Inactivated vaccines usually don’t provide immunity (protection) that’s as strong as live vaccines. So you may need several doses over time (booster shots) in order to get ongoing immunity against diseases.
Inactivated vaccines would be for hepatitis A, flu, polio, rabies, etc.

Live vaccines use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease. Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response. Just 1 or 2 doses of most live vaccines can give you a lifetime of protection against a germ and the disease it causes. Live vaccines protect against measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), rotavirus, smallpox, chickenpox & yellow fever.

Live vaccines could have some limitations. Because they contain a small amount of the weakened live virus, some people should talk to their health care provider before receiving them, such as people with weakened immune systems, long-term health problems, or people who’ve had an organ transplant. They need to be kept cool, so they don’t travel well. That means they can’t be used in countries with limited access to refrigerators.
 
I have no issue with 'fake milks' - almond milk, soy milk etc, if people want to drink them.

But do so from choice, not because of some unlikely perceived risk from dairy milk
 


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