Oregon officials warn against drinking raw milk as bird flu outbreak spreads in dairy cows

The Oregon Health Authority is warning against drinking raw or unpasteurized milk.

The precaution comes amid several reported cases of H5N1 bird flu in dairy cattle herds across nine states — including Idaho. There are no reported cases of bird flu in Oregon dairy cows.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed over 50 dairy herds across several states have tested positive for bird flu, and the virus could be more widespread than current testing suggests, according to health officials.

A recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration report found when nearly 300 retail milk samples were tested, about 20% of the samples were positive for trace amounts of the virus, though none contained the live infectious virus.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a news partner of the Pamplin Media Group. Find the original story here .