NEW YORK (AP) — A new study that recreated commercial pasteurization in a government lab provides reassurance that heat treatment kills bird flu virus in cow’s milk, U.S. officials said Friday.
When the bird flu known as H5N1 was first detected in U.S. dairy cows earlier this year, there were no studies of whether heat treatment killed the virus in cows milk. But officials were comforted by studies that showed the pasteurization of eggs — which involves heating at a lower temperature and for a shorter amount of time – worked, said the Food and Drug Administration’s Donald Prater.
A study in April found that there was no evidence of infectious, live virus in store-bought samples of pasteurized milk, though they did contain dead remnants of it. Some later small studies that attempted to simulate pasteurization showed mixed results.
The new study was done at a federal research center in Athens, Georgia, using custom equipment that tried to more completely recreate commercial pasteurization.
It also allowed sampling at different stages in the process. The milk goes through several heating steps before being flash-heated, and the study found the virus was inactivated even before it hit the 161-degree, 15-or-more-seconds “flash pasteurization” stage that is considered the key step in making milk safe.
“This information really fills an important gap in our understanding of how commercial pasteurization inactivates the virus,” Prater said.
The study has been not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - Thermometers are seen atop a small-scale pasteurizer in Plainfield, Vt., on March 13, 2012. On Friday, June 28, 2024, U.S. officials said a new study provides reassurance that pasteurization kills bird flu virus in cow's milk. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Firefighters were racing to tackle a wildfire that broke out on the eastern Aegean island of Chios Monday, as Greece’s prime minister warned of a dangerous summer ahead and said the public’s help was essential in limiting the impact of wildfires.
Emergency services issued evacuation orders for those in the Metohi area of western Chios, urging them to head to a nearby beach. The blaze comes a day after the fire department managed to tame two large forest fires near Athens that had been fanned by strong winds.
“We have had an exceptionally difficult June regarding weather conditions, with high levels of drought and unusually strong winds for this season,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Monday during a Cabinet meeting. This year’s summer, he said, is predicted to be particularly dangerous regarding wildfires.
Mitsotakis said the use of drones as part of an early warning system for wildfires had been particularly useful this year and credited better coordination between authorities and volunteer firefighters for limiting the extent of fire damage so far.
“We are entering the tough core of the anti-fire period, and this will certainly not be won without the help of the public as well, particularly in the field of prevention,” Mitsotakis said.
Hot, dry weather combined with strong winds helped fan fires in both Greece and Turkey last month. This year’s summer expected to be particularly prone to blazes in following a particularly mild, dry winter. Last year, extensive wildfires in Greece killed more than 20 people.
A firefighter tries to extinguish a forest fire in the Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Two large wildfires were burning Sunday near Greece's capital of Athens, and authorities sent emergency messages for some residents to evacuate and others to stay at home and close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A burnt car is seen in the yard of a house after a wildfire at Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A destroyed home is seen amidst a burnt area after a wildfire at Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A firefighting helicopter throws water over a wildfire at Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A firefighter struggles to extinguish a forest fire in the Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Two large wildfires were burning Sunday near Greece's capital of Athens, and authorities sent emergency messages for some residents to evacuate and others to stay at home and close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A firefighter looks at a forest fire in Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Two large wildfires were burning Sunday near Greece's capital of Athens, and authorities sent emergency messages for some residents to evacuate and others to stay at home and close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A firefighter tries to extinguish a forest fire at Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Two large wildfires were burning Sunday near Greece's capital of Athens, and authorities sent emergency messages for some residents to evacuate and others to stay at home and close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
The remains of a home are pictured after a forest fire at Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Two large wildfires were burning Sunday near Greece's capital of Athens, and authorities sent emergency messages for some residents to evacuate and others to stay at home and close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A firefighting helicopter drops water over a wildfire at Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A pine tree is on fire during a forest fire in Keratea area, southeast of Athens, Greece, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Two large wildfires were burning Sunday near Greece's capital of Athens, and authorities sent emergency messages for some residents to evacuate and others to stay at home and close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
