As bird flu spreads in the U.S., is it safe to eat eggs?

Avian influenza has spread to dairy cows in multiple states and one person in Texas. Health officials are on high alert.

In early April, a dairy worker in Texas tested positive for avian influenza, also known as bird flu, amid a multi-state outbreak of the virus among cows. The bird flu virus has also been detected in raw milk, but authorities say the current risk to the public is low.

It’s the first time this strain of bird flu — referred to as highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) — has been detected in cattle and the first documented cow-to-human transmission of an avian influenza virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The person in Texas is only the second case of bird flu in a human ever reported in the United States.

While there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, health officials are on high alert.

In a recent press conference, a leading expert at the World Health Organization called the risk of the bird flu spreading to humans “an enormous concern.” Speaking to reporters on April 18, WHO chief scientist Dr. Jeremy Farrar warned that bird flu viruses are increasingly infecting mammals.

“The great concern ... is that the virus evolves and develops the ability to infect humans and then critically, the ability to go from human-to-human transmission,” Farrar said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bird-flu-spreads-us-safe-eat-eggs-risk-humans-rcna148901

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