Bird flu was first detected in beef, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday, but officials said meat from one sick dairy cow was kept out of the nation’s food supply and the beef remains safe to eat.
The USDA stated The virus was discovered in testing of 96 dairy cows that were removed from supply because federal inspectors noticed signs of the disease during routine inspections of carcasses at meat processing plants. Bird flu was detected in only one of these cows.
Avian influenza has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in nine states. found in milk and prompted slaughter of millions of chickens and turkeys. But finding it in beef is a new development for flashwhich started in 2022.
Last month the agency said it would ground beef test for bird flu in retail stores, but no signs of the virus have yet been detected.
Even if avian flu gets into consumer beef, cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73.9 Celsius) will kill it the same way it kills E. coli and other viruses, according to the USDA.
Two farm workers at a dairy factory Michigan and Texas suffered from bird flu this spring. Health officials say the risk to the public remains low, but farm workers who come into contact with infected animals are at higher risk.
Only one other human case of avian influenza has been confirmed in the United States. In 2022, a prisoner on the work program raised while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.