Overview

• Researchers reporting in Science Advances found standard high‑temperature short‑time pasteurization at 72°C for 15 seconds consistently inactivated H5N1 in experimentally contaminated milk.
• Viral RNA and hemagglutinin protein remained detectable after heating, yet the remnants were noninfectious.
• Mice repeatedly fed pasteurized milk containing inactivated H5N1 showed no illness and no immune priming against a later lethal H5N1 challenge.
• Unpasteurized or inadequately heated milk containing H5N1 proved highly pathogenic in mouse experiments, reinforcing warnings about raw milk and noncommercial pasteurization.
• USDA says the bovine outbreak spans 17 states including Nebraska, and CDC has linked human infections, including one death, to exposures such as wild birds, backyard flocks and raw milk.