The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging residents to avoid consuming or feeding to their pets raw milk due to the ongoing spread of H5 bird flu in dairy cows.

A recent statewide recall by the California Department of Food and Agriculture reported additional detections of bird flu virus in samples taken from a raw milk bulk tank at the Valley Milk Simply Bottled dairy farm of Stanislaus County.

Residents should avoid consumption of all raw milk and not feed it to their pets — whether obtained from a licensed retailer, local farm, neighbor, or friend. Raw milk, which is milk that has not been pasteurized, can harbor harmful bacteria and viruses, including bird flu, which can pose serious risks to public health. While consuming raw milk is never advised from a public health standpoint, the risk is especially concerning at this time, given the ongoing spread of bird flu virus among dairy cattle and following recent multiple detections of the virus in raw milk products.

Obtaining raw milk through unlicensed distributors carries an elevated risk as these products are not permitted or regulated by The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) rigorous requirements for milk producers. In order to be sold commercially in California, raw milk must be produced on a dairy farm that holds a market milk permit issued by CDFA. CDFA inspects farms and bottling facilities, collecting milk samples for laboratory analysis, and communicating with the dairy farmers on any issues indicated by laboratory test results. While permitted raw milk is tested and regulated, there is no guarantee that it is completely safe and may still pose significant health risks for both humans and pets.

Anyone can become sick from drinking raw milk or consuming raw milk products. The people at the highest risk for severe illness include people who are pregnant, adults 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years, and people with weakened immune systems.

The products impacted by this new recall may be marketed as Valley Milk Simply Bottled Raw Cow Milk and DESI Milk Raw Cow Milk and are distributed in quart (32 oz), half gallon (64 oz), and one gallon (128 oz) plastic jugs. The recalled jugs have an expiration date of DEC 23 2024 through DEC 30 2024 marked on the container.

CDFA is notifying retailers to remove the affected raw milk from their shelves. People may have already purchased the raw milk that may be contaminated with H5 bird flu virus from retailers prior to the recall and should immediately discard any remaining product or return it to the retail point of purchase. This includes frozen raw milk products since freezing does not eliminate harmful germs that can cause illness.

No human illnesses associated with this raw milk recall have been reported in L.A. County. Public Health recently confirmed H5 bird flu in four cats that consumed recalled raw milk and became sick and died, which is part of an ongoing investigation. Cats infected with H5 bird flu can develop severe illness that may including neurologic signs, respiratory signs or liver disease that can rapidly progress to death.

Anyone who has consumed these specific recalled raw milk products and is experiencing symptoms should immediately contact their health care provider or local health department.

About Raw Milk

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Raw milk—and products made from it such as queso fresco—can carry harmful germs, such as Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, viruses and parasites. These germs can present serious health risks to you and your family.

Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to a high enough temperature for enough time to kill harmful germs, which can cause serious illness. This process does not eliminate milk’s nutritional value.

Raw milk, even from healthy cows, may be contaminated with harmful germs that can make you very sick. In fact, raw milk is one of the riskiest foods to consume. People who get sick from raw milk might have many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting. Some people might develop severe or even life-threatening diseases, including pregnancy loss; blood infection; hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can result in kidney failure, stroke, and even death; Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis and even death.

Anyone can become sick from drinking raw milk or consuming raw milk products. The people at the highest risk for severe illness include people who are pregnant, adults 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years, and people with weakened immune systems. People in these groups should not consume raw milk or products made with it.

Drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to illness. In addition, touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection. Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever.

For questions or to find a nearby clinic or doctor, residents can call the Public Health InfoLine at 833-540-0473. Open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information, visit these websites:

Avian flu in animals: publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/HPAI.htm

Avian flu in humans: ph.lacounty.gov/acd/diseases/h5n1.htm

See press release on raw milk recall here.