Marin County Public Health (MCPH) strongly advises people not to consume any raw milk products. MCPH is reporting a suspected case of bird flu in a child who experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk. The child has recovered, and no other family members became sick, indicating no person-to person transmission. 

MCPH is actively investigating this possible case of bird flu linked to raw milk consumption with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On December 6, CDPH issued an alert[External] to health care providers to evaluate and test for human avian flu (H5N1) in people who develop flu-like symptoms after consuming raw milk. Due to widespread transmission of bird flu among wild birds, significant outbreaks among dairy cows, and sporadic human cases.

“Bird flu infections in humans are uncommon but there are ongoing outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry farms in the United States,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County’s Public Health Officer, “The risk to the public remains low, as bird flu spread from person to person is rare.” 

There have been 32 confirmed cases of bird flu reported in California this year. Most bird flu detections in the U.S. have been in poultry and dairy workers who were exposed to sick animals, but sporadic cases are expected. 

Human, animal, and environmental health are connected. This possible case of bird flu linked to raw milk consumption highlights the importance of understanding how diseases can spread from animals to humans, especially through food. Raw milk, which hasn’t been pasteurized poses a risk of spreading diseases, including influenza. Exposure to food-borne bacteria and viruses can make anyone sick, but they are especially dangerous for people with weak immune systems, as well as children, older adults, and pregnant women. 

Health care providers should ​​​consider avian influenza A (H5N1) in persons with fever, gastrointestinal, respiratory symptoms and/or conjunctivitis with recent consumption of raw milk products or exposure to animals suspected or confirmed to have avian influenza. They should contact MCPH immediately for technical assistance on collecting respiratory specimens (nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs) for testing. 

“We thank the teams at Napa-Solano-Yolo-Marin County Public Health Laboratory, CDPH and CDC for their prompt response, support and guidance,” Santora said.