Raw cheese made with milk from dairy cattle infected with bird flu can harbor infectious virus for months and may be a risk to public health, according to a new study from researchers at Cornell University that was funded by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The fairly recent detection of H5N1 avian flu in dairy cattle, however, raises questions about whether the same process can inactive the virus. The answer appears to be no, in most instances, scientists from Cornell University reported today on bioRxiv,

Scientists already discovered that raw milk can harbor the infectious H5N1 bird flu virus, but now there’s a new study on its capabilities that has health officials concerned.

Scientists are sounding alarms about a genetic mutation that was recently identified in four dairy cow herds, nearly one year after H5N1 bird flu was first reported in Texas dairy cattle.

Life science companies developing bird flu vaccines are gaining attention as the avian influenza subtype H5N1 becomes an increasing concern. The United States is in the midst of an H5N1 bird flu outbreak that began in February 2024 and is now threatening the nation’s poultry and cattle industries.

Older adults who were exposed to seasonal flu viruses that circulated prior to 1968 are more likely to have some protection against H5N1, and children would benefit more from H5N1 vaccines.

India reports its first H5N1 bird flu cases in domestic cats raising concerns about its potential spread to humans Experts warn of mutations—should we be worried

Raw cheese made with milk from dairy cattle infected with bird flu can harbor infectious virus for months and may be a risk to public health, according to