Infectious H5N1 Influenza Virus in Raw Milk Rapidly Declines with Heat Treatment

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/infectious-h5n1-influenza-virus-raw-milk-rapidly-declines-heat-treatment?utm_campaign=+60996474&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= NIAID scientists found that amounts of infectious H5N1 influenza viruses in raw milk rapidly declined with heat treatment in a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, small detectable amounts of infectious virus remained in raw milk samples with high virus levels when treated at 72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds---one of the standard pasteurization methods used by the dairy industry. The authors stress that their findings reflect experimental conditions in a lab setting and aren’t identical to large-scale industrial pasteurization processes for raw milk.