May 21, 2024
Singapore confirms US dairy products safe amid H5N1 outbreak
Dairy products from the US remain safe for consumption, despite the spread of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu strain among dairy cows since late March, The Straits Times reported.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) assured that there is no evidence that bird flu can be transmitted to humans through the handling or consumption of thoroughly cooked food.
An SFA spokeswoman emphasised that food products imported into Singapore must meet stringent food safety requirements and import conditions. She said all imported milk must undergo heat treatment processes, such as pasteurisation, which are effective in killing bacteria and viruses, including the influenza virus.
In March, the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of bird flu in dairy cattle herds in New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, and Michigan, US. The virus was found in samples of unpasteurised milk from older, sick lactating cattle.
Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Arizona, said that the virus likely jumped from birds to cows between mid-November 2023 and mid-January 2024. This was supported by a research paper funded by the USDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The USDA believes that wild birds carried the virus to cattle in Texas, and it spread as cows were moved to other states. The paper noted that data supports a single introduction event from wild bird origin virus into cattle, followed by limited local circulation for approximately four months before USDA confirmation.
The USDA reported confirmed bird flu cases in dairy cattle across nine states. Recently, a Texas dairy farmworker contracted bird flu from a cow, marking the first human case contracted from cattle. This finding was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in early May. Despite this, US health and food safety authorities maintain that the public risk remains low.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that while bird flu viral particles were found in some samples of pasteurised milk, the commercial milk supply remains safe. Pasteurisation involves treating foods with heat to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life.
According to the US International Trade Administration, the US was the third-largest exporter of dairy products to Singapore in 2022, following New Zealand and Australia. There was a 12% increase in imports of US dairy products, from US$105 million in 2021 to US$118 million in 2022.
- The Straits Times
