Health
Bird flu virus found in grocery store milk, but no risk to customers, FDA says
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Samples of pasteurized milk on grocery store shelves have tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has already infected herds of dairy cows, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.
The FDA stressed that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent [an] actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue.
Bird flu virus, known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or H5N1, is a disease that is highly contagious and often deadly in poultry.
Infection with the virus causes decreased lactation, low appetite and other symptoms in affected cattle, the FDA says.
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The FDA says pasteurized milk on grocery store shelves has tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus, but there is no risk to customers’ safety. (iStock)
The FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that commercial milk supply is safe because of the pasteurization process.
The pasteurization process involves killing harmful bacteria and viruses by heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time to make milk safer. Federal regulations require milk that enters interstate commerce to be pasteurized.
“The pasteurization process has served public health well for more than 100 years,” the FDA said. “Even if [the] virus is detected in raw milk, pasteurization is generally expected to eliminate pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health.”
“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.”
Pasteurization is different from complete sterilization, which extends shelf life but is not required to ensure milk safety, the agency said.
Officials with the FDA and the USDA had previously said milk from affected cattle did not enter the commercial supply. Milk from sick animals is supposed to be diverted and destroyed.
FDA officials did not indicate how many samples they tested or where they were obtained. The agency has been evaluating milk during processing and from grocery stores, officials said. Results of additional tests are expected in “the next few days to weeks.”
The PCR lab test the FDA used would have detected viral genetic material even after a live virus was killed by pasteurization or heat treatment, Lee-Ann Jaykus, an emeritus food microbiologist and virologist at North Carolina State University told the Associated Press.
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Cows being milked while riding a slowly-moving carousel. (Edwin Remsberg/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“There is no evidence to date that this is [an] infectious virus and the FDA is following up on that,” Jaykus said.
Scientists confirmed the H5N1 virus in dairy cows in March after weeks of reports that cows in Texas were suffering from a mysterious malady.
The FDA says HPAI has now been confirmed in domestic livestock in 33 herds across eight states: Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina.
While the virus is lethal to commercial poultry, most infected cattle seem to recover within two weeks, experts say.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) echoed the FDA’s assertions that pasteurization is effective against HPAI and that commercial milk supply is safe.
“Viral fragments detected after pasteurization are nothing more than evidence that the virus is dead; they have zero impact on human health,” the NMPF said in a statement.
“Further, the federal PMO prohibits milk from sick cows from entering the food supply chain. Milk and milk products produced and processed in the United States are among the safest in the world.”
Bird flu virus has been found in samples of pasteurized milk on grocery store shelves but there is no risk to customers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday. (iStock)
The news comes after a goat in Minnesota tested positive HPAI in February, which marked the first U.S. case of bird flu in domestic cattle, sheep, goats or their relatives.
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The positive juvenile goat was residing on a Stevens County farm that already had bird flu infected poultry, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
To date, two people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu. A Texas dairy worker who was in close contact with an infected cow earlier this year developed “eye redness” and has recovered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue and he also recovered.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Health
Pediatricians group stands up for kids’ rapidly shrinking recess time: ‘Very powerful benefit’
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Recess may look like downtime, but pediatricians say cutting it could cost kids far more than a few minutes on the playground.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released updated guidance for the first time in more than a decade that urges schools to protect recess, highlighting that the unstructured break delivers major benefits for kids’ health, learning and behavior.
“It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest,” said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author of the new guidance, which was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Researchers say recess helps students reset between lessons, improving focus and memory. It also gives kids time to build social skills, boost confidence and stay physically active, a key factor as 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens struggle with obesity.
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Students play ball during recess at St. Agnes Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3, 2020. (Dario Lopez-Mills/AP)
Despite those benefits, recess time has been shrinking for years. Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts have reduced or eliminated it, according to data from the Springboard to Active Schools group and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The group is pushing schools to reverse that trend, recommending at least 20 minutes of daily recess and multiple breaks. It further warned against using it as punishment.
Whittier Elementary School students enjoy recess in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 18, 2022. (Matt York/AP)
“If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said, noting that those students often need it most.
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Doctors also stress that recess isn’t just for younger children. As screen time rises, older students need time to unplug, move and recharge.
Elementary school students play tag outside on the grass during recess. (iStock)
“As kids get older, they’re more on their screens,” said Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, a pediatric specialist. “So it’s really helpful, I think, for outdoor activity and recess to be happening. Recess is great. We all kind of need recess.”
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In other countries such as Denmark, Japan and the United Kingdom, students already get more frequent breaks, often after every 45 to 50 minutes of instruction. Experts say this model could help U.S. schools improve both learning and student well-being.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Health
Cruise ship linked to deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrives off Tenerife as passenger evacuation begins
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The cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrived early Sunday off the Spanish island of Tenerife, where passengers began to evacuate and fly to their home countries.
Passengers are being tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they are asymptomatic before being transported ashore in small boats, Spanish officials said, according to Reuters.
Spanish health authorities confirmed that the first plane carrying the Spanish passengers has departed for a military hospital in Madrid, where they will be under quarantine.
The 17 Americans aboard the MV Hondius will be flown to a medical center in Nebraska after health officials allow them to disembark.
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The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a Hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official told ABC News on Saturday morning that federal officials currently do not plan to mandate quarantine when the American passengers arrive in Nebraska.
They will instead be screened upon arrival in the U.S. and either stay briefly at Nebraska’s National Quarantine Unit or return home to monitor for symptoms for 42 days while staying in contact with local health authorities, the official said.
The ship set course for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.
The ship’s arrival comes hours after World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.
The WHO said Friday that eight people aboard the ship had fallen ill, including three who died. Six cases have been confirmed, with two others suspected.
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A cruise ship linked to a Hantavirus outbreak anchored near the Spanish island of Tenerife ahead of a planned evacuation. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
In a statement Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remains low.
“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” he said.
“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he continued.
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A police boat operates next to the cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
Ghebreyesus noted that the virus identified aboard the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be severe.
“Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families,” he wrote, reiterating that the public health risk posed by the virus remained low.
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An ambulance evacuates patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship to the airport in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)
About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the vessel continues to the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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