Marin County child with possible bird flu drank raw milk: officials
Dec 11, 2024
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EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story misstated the diagnosis of the party involved. We regret the error.
(KRON) -- A child in the North Bay who became sick from a suspected case of bird flu last month has recovered. On Tuesday, Marin County health officials said the child drank raw milk before testing positive for Influenza A.
In November, Marin County Public Health was notified of a child who was admitted to an emergency department with fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk. No other family members became sick while the child recovered, indicating to officials that there was no person-to-person transmission in the possible bird flu case.
Health officials warn against consuming raw milk due to the elevated risks of illnesses as the products are not pasteurized. The heating process of pasteurization kills bacteria and viruses such as bird flu.
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In late November, Fresno-based Raw Farm LLC issued recalls of its raw milk and cream products after California health and agriculture officials found bird flu virus in multiple retail samples. No connection has been made between Raw Farm’s products and the child’s possible bird flu case.
Additional testing will determine whether the Marin County child’s infection is a confirmed case of bird flu.
The Marin County case is the second incident of a child in the Bay Area becoming sick from suspected bird flu in November. A child in Alameda County was treated for mild symptoms after testing positive for the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the current risk to the general public in becoming infected with bird flu remains low.