Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

Take-Home Messages

• This is the first reported spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in cows, we are still learning how the virus is transmitted and how this impacts the animal and public health.
• Dairy farms are segregating cows showing signs of illness, limiting potential viral loads in raw milk.
• If HPAI virus is present in raw milk it is expected to be inactivated by milk pasteurization as less heat intensive pasteurization practices used in other foods have been shown to effectively reduce HPAI viral loads.
• Viral remnants (e.g., genetic material) from inactivated HPAI virus can still be detected using PCR in pasteurized milk; however, this presence does not represent a public health risk because only live, infectious virus can cause an illness.

For more information, visit

CALS Cornell Institute for Food Safety

CALS Cornell Pro Dairy

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