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American dairy cows have been contracting avian flu, and inactive traces of the virus have been found in milk supplies across the country. The spread to humans has been very limited, but the Times Opinion columnist Zeynep Tufekci argues that hoping for good luck is not a strategy for responding to potential pandemics and that government agencies need to do a better job of coordinating, testing and reporting their findings quickly. (A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Persons: Zeynep Tufekci

The one person we know of so far who has tested positive for infection (a mild case) was a Texas dairy worker. Agricultural workers have always been an underprotected population for zoonotic diseases, including influenza viruses of animal origin. So far, bird flu testing of this cohort has been woefully inadequate. The exact number of dairy workers and other people who have so far been tested for H5N1 is not publicly available at the federal level. There is no excuse to continue only limited testing of this vulnerable population.

Persons: — Organizations: for Disease Control Locations: United States, Texas, slaughterhouses

The same bacteria that commonly cause food-borne illnesses, like salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can fester in raw milk. Between 1998 and 2018, researchers linked over 200 outbreaks, which sickened 2,645 people and led to 228 hospitalizations, to raw milk. Can you catch bird flu from raw milk? Researchers and health officials are not sure whether bird flu can spread from raw milk to humans. “There’s not a tremendous amount of studies showing the infectivity related to this virus and raw milk products,” Dr. Prater said.

Persons: I’m, ”, Dean Blumberg, isn’t, Darin Detwiler, Rosemary Sifford, “ There’s, Dr, Prater Organizations: UC Davis Health, Food and Drug Administration, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, Department of Agriculture

Additional testing of retail dairy products from across the country has turned up no signs of live bird flu virus, strengthening the consensus that pasteurization is protecting consumers from the threat, federal health and agriculture officials said at a news briefing on Wednesday. But the scope of the bird flu outbreak in cattle remains unclear, as dairy herds are not routinely tested for the infection, scientists and other experts have noted. Just one human infection, which was mild, has been reported, in a dairy worker in Texas who had direct contact with sick cows. Barely two dozen people have been tested for bird flu, federal officials said at the briefing. There have been no unusual increases in flu cases around the country, even in areas with infected cows, they added.

Locations: Texas

☆ Catch up on the day’s news: Trump fined for violating gag order, marijuana getting reclassified, college protests intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Daniel Wine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It’s expected to become a Schedule III controlled substance, a classification shared by prescription drugs such as ketamine and Tylenol with codeine. Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day:5 thingsKeith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, is questioned. Jane Rosenberg1️⃣ Trump on trial: Donald Trump removed the online posts that a judge ruled violated his gag order in the New York criminal hush money case. The former president also was fined $9,000, and a former attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal testified. 5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Tricia Escobedo, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

Persons: ane R, Ed, bil, Lis, r., Gupta, Loo, Cheng S Organizations: acc, ld, CNN

☆ Walmart launches new grocery brand, as it tries to hang on to inflation-fueled growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

And its low-priced reputation has helped the company attract higher income grocery shoppers as inflation pinches budgets. On Tuesday, the big-box retailer said it will roll out a private label called BetterGoods, a line of more trend-and chef-driven foods. Walmart is debuting a new grocery brand, as the discounter tries to retain the shoppers it has attracted during a period of high inflation. Another grocery brand it debuted, Favorite Day, is made up of creative takes on ice cream bars and trail mixes. The new private brand will join Walmart's existing collection of private brands in the grocery department, which includes Great Value — the country's largest private grocery brand by revenue, according to Numerator, a market research firm.

Persons: Costco's Kirkland, Kroger Organizations: Walmart, Aldi, Grocers, Target, Smart Locations: U.S

☆ 5 ways to attack the climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Andrea Kane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The climate crisis impacts Earth — its land, its atmosphere and its bodies of water — and it also profoundly affects the health and behavior of the planet’s inhabitants large and small, including humanity. And CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir has a front-row seat to the ever-evolving situation. “Five million people die prematurely every year just to, just from particulate pollution of burning fossil fuels around the world,” Weir said. “It is taking care of water and soil and air… (that) fills those (Maslow) needs in ways that we can’t imagine in our modern, convenient world,” he said. “I just want folks to connect with each other and nature in the best possible ways,” he said.

Persons: Bill Weir, Weir, Olivia, —, “, ” Weir, Sanjay Gupta, it’s, Abraham Maslow’s, ”, Elisabeth Kübler, Rogers, “ There’s, he’s, Maslow Organizations: CNN, Earth Locations: Hope, America, Charleston , South Carolina, Miami, thrivers, United States, Maine, Canada, Asia, Lahaina, ‘

☆ A 110-year-old man says he's never had back pain and still drives his car every day. Here are his 6 longevity tips.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Julia Pugachevsky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAt 110, the 8th oldest man in the world still drives his car every day. He shared his daily routine and longevity tips with the outlet, including an active social life, lots of movement, and a flexible diet. "I was drinking milk and eating well because I worked on a farm," he told TODAY.com. "He has eaten whatever he wants," she told TODAY.com. He stopped smoking and doesn't drink muchDrinking and smoking are considered to be bad for longevity.

Persons: —, Vincent Dransfield, TODAY.com, Erica Lista, Dransfield, Lista, He's, Dransfield's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Little Falls , New Jersey

☆ Federal Officials Find No Live Bird Flu Virus in Initial Milk Tests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Noah Weiland | Benjamin Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Federal regulators on Friday said that they had not yet discovered live bird flu virus in the first batch of retail milk samples they tested, a reassuring indication that the milk on store shelves remains safe despite an outbreak of the virus among diary cows. In an online update, the Food and Drug Administration said an initial set of tests looking for live virus, not just genetic fragments, suggested that the pasteurization process was effectively neutralizing the pathogen. “These results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the F.D.A. wrote in the update, adding that the testing efforts were ongoing. Officials also tested infant and toddler formula, which incorporate powdered dairy, and did not find the virus, the agency wrote.

Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, Officials

☆ One in Five Milk Samples Nationwide Shows Genetic Traces of Bird Flu
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Emily Anthes | Noah Weiland | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal regulators have discovered fragments of bird flu virus in roughly 20 percent of retail milk samples tested in a nationally representative study, the Food and Drug Administration said in an online update on Thursday. Samples from parts of the country that are known to have dairy herds infected with the virus were more likely to test positive, the agency said. Regulators said that there is no evidence that this milk poses a danger to consumers or that live virus is present in the milk on store shelves, an assessment public health experts have agreed with. But finding traces of the virus in such a high share of samples from around the country is the strongest signal yet that the bird flu outbreak in dairy cows is more extensive than the official tally of 33 infected herds across eight states. “It suggests that there is a whole lot of this virus out there,” said Richard Webby, a virologist and influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Persons: ”, Richard Webby, Jude Children’s Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, Regulators, St, Jude Children’s Research

☆ A vegan restaurant is switching to serving meat, saying plant-based eating isn't enough to save the planet
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The restaurant will instead support regenerative farming practices — a move condemned by PETA. AdvertisementThe chef of a Los Angeles vegan restaurant announced that her restaurant is rebranding and transitioning to serving meat, dairy, and eggs. Renamed the Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery, the restaurant will instead focus on supporting regenerative farming practices, Engelhart said in an Instagram video. AdvertisementEngelhart told the LA Times that she was being "vulnerable" in announcing the move, and that she had braced herself for the "vitriol" to come. She also told the LA Times that financial considerations influenced her decision, with the newspaper reporting that the restaurants had not been profitable since 2020.

Persons: —, Mollie Engelhart, Engelhart, William H, Schlesinger, pushback, Jayde Nicole, Hannah Weseloh, Englehart Organizations: PETA, Service, Brewery, Los Angeles Times, LA Times, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Locations: Los Angeles, Echo Park, Culver City, Pasadena, LA

☆ Bird flu particles were found in pasteurized milk. A former surgeon general says he isn't changing what he eats.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

So far, though, many public health experts don't think this rings alarm bells about the safety of the food supply. Nathan Frandino/ReutersThe FDA oversees the nation's milk supply, and the US Department of Agriculture oversees dairy cows. Both say they believe the commercial milk supply is safe, due to the pasteurization process and the practice of disposing of milk from sick cows. Some states allow the sale of unpasteurized, aka "raw," milk or cheese, which the CDC recommends avoiding. "To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.

Persons: —, Dr, Jerome Adams, Trump, Pasteurization, Nathan Frandino, Carlos Barria, Adams, Samuel Alcaine, Cook, who's, I'm Organizations: Service, Drug Administration, Business, Purdue University, Johann, FDA, US Department of Agriculture, Washington Post, The New York Times, Mountain Creamery, Cornell University, CDC, Workers Locations: Fresno , California, Middletown , Maryland

☆ Bird flu could jump to humans any day. A former surgeon general says it feels like 2020 again.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In recent months the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has been spreading through US cattle herds for the first time ever. The cow-to-cow transmission is the latest escalation in a global outbreak that began when the virus reemerged in Europe in 2020. Bill Powers with his flock of white turkeys, kept under shelter to prevent exposure to bird flu, in Townsend, Delaware. Nathan Howard/Getty ImagesDr. Jerome Adams, a former surgeon general and the director of health equity at Purdue University, is getting deja vu. AdvertisementOnly testing the sickSo far, the USDA has only been testing cattle herds when an animal appears sick.

Persons: —, Jeremy Farrar, Nathan Frandino, Farrar, Bill Powers, Nathan Howard, Jerome Adams, they've, Adams, Donald Trump, hasn't, Terry Chea, they're, Zeynep Tufekci, Jean Carroll, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, President Trump, Trump, Biden Organizations: Service, Business, World Health Organization, Washington Post, Food and Drug Administration, New York Times, FDA, Johann, Reuters, US Centers for Disease Control, Purdue University, CDC, US Department of Agriculture, White, USDA Locations: Europe, South America, Fresno , California, Texas, Townsend , Delaware, COVID, Sonoma County , California

☆ Bird flu resurgence drives up egg prices, spurring some to stock up
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesBird flu fears are driving up egg prices again. After having subsided for most of 2023, a recent resurgence of avian influenza in poultry facilities across the U.S., Japan and other nations have caused prices of eggs to jump again. The virus, commonly referred to as bird flu, is extremely contagious and lethal among birds, has been detected in dairy herds in recent days. In the U.S., more than 14 million egg-laying chickens died in November and December as a result of avian flu. We have had record high beef, pork and chicken retail prices so eggs can be a substitute, meaning that egg prices would increase.

Persons: David Anderson, M University Julian Stratenschulte Organizations: Getty, of Agricultural Economics, Texas, M University, U.S . Department of Agriculture Locations: U.S, Japan

☆ Steak From Dairy Cows? It Could Be a Lifeline for American Farmers.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Florence Fabricant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Meat from dairy cows, rarely valued in American kitchens and restaurants, usually becomes dog food and fast-food burgers. When mature dairy cows (about six years old) are allowed to pasture longer, their fat, which normally goes into milk, returns to the muscles and makes the meat richer and more tender. But a few farms, including Mindful Meat in Marin County, Calif., and Butter Meat Company in Pavilion, N.Y., just west of the Finger Lakes, have been selling meat from culled dairy cows and convincing skeptics. At Stone Barns, dairy cattle are living out their golden years munching on Pocantico Hills grass before becoming the highlight of a tasting menu that can run more than $400 per person. All the beef dishes at the restaurant are made with culled dairy meat; at the Stone Barns store, frozen strip-loin steaks are $24 a pound.

Persons: It’s, Dan Barber Organizations: Meat Company, Stone Locations: Europe, United States, Portugal, Spain, France, Marin County, Calif, Stone Barns, Tarrytown, N.Y, Stone, Pocantico

The Biden administration on Wednesday said that it would begin requiring dairy cows moving across state lines to be tested for bird flu, which has been spreading in herds for months. The new policy is part of a growing effort to stamp out the spread of a virus that federal health officials have sought to reassure Americans poses little risk to people so far. The new order, issued by the Department of Agriculture, says that lactating cows must test negative for influenza A viruses, a class that includes bird flu, before they are transported. The owners of herds with positive tests will need to provide data on the movements of the cattle to help investigators trace the disease. Since a highly contagious form of bird flu was detected in the United States in 2022, federal officials have sought to reassure Americans that the threat to the public remained low, even as the virus infected a growing number of mammals.

Persons: Biden, ” Mike Watson Organizations: Department of Agriculture, of Agriculture Locations: United States

☆ We Are Blowing the Fight to Contain Bird Flu - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Zeynep Tufekci | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza among U.S. dairy cows, first reported on March 25, has now spread to at least 33 herds in eight states. Federal authorities say the milk supply is safe, but this latest development raises troubling questions about how widespread the outbreak really is. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1 virus who served on President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, told me this is the crucial moment. That’s when I told him what I’d heard from Sid Miller, the Texas commissioner for agriculture. The commissioner speculated that back then, as much as 40 percent of the herds in the Texas panhandle may have been infected.

Persons: Rick Bright, Biden’s, ”, it’s, I’d, Sid Miller, Bright, I’m, what’s Locations: Texas

Federal regulators on Tuesday said that samples of pasteurized milk from around the country had tested positive for inactive remnants of the bird flu virus that has been infecting dairy cows. The viral fragments do not pose a threat to consumers, officials said. “To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. Over the last month, a bird flu virus known as H5N1 has been detected in more than 30 dairy herds in eight states. The virus is also known to have infected one farmworker, whose only symptom was pink eye.

Persons: “ Organizations: and Drug Administration, Agriculture Department

☆ The Sinking Arizona Town Where Water and Politics Collide
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Jack Healy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Arizona’s deeply conservative La Paz County, the most urgent issue facing many voters is not inflation or illegal immigration. It is the water being pumped from under their feet. Water experts say the pumping is sinking poor rural towns. The ground in parts of La Paz County has dropped more than five feet during three decades of farming. Now, he works at a water and ice business in Salome, population 700, selling five-gallon jugs.

Persons: Pipes, Wells, What’s, ”, Luis Zavala Organizations: Capitol, Democrats Locations: Paz County, Phoenix, La Paz County, Mexico, Salome

☆ A Bill to Limit Canada’s Trade Negotiators on Farm Goods Edges Nearer to Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

And perhaps even more surprising, it deals with a contentious issue: Canada’s supply management system, which controls production and sets minimum prices for dairy and poultry products as well as eggs. Many free-market economists and politicians cast supply management as a legalized price cartel that increases Canadians’ grocery bills. And in negotiations for every one of Canada’s major trade agreements in recent decades, the supply management system has emerged as one of the final sticking points.

☆ Scientists Fault Federal Response to Bird Flu Outbreaks on Dairy Farms
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | Emily Anthes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the month since federal authorities announced an outbreak of bird flu on dairy farms, they have repeatedly reassured the public that the spate of infections does not impact the nation’s food or milk supply, and poses little risk to the public. Yet the outbreak among cows may be more serious than originally believed. Officials in North Carolina have detected bird flu infections in a cattle herd with no symptoms, The New York Times has learned — information the U.S.D.A. It has been reimbursing farmers for testing, but only for 20 cows per farm that were visibly ill. This week, the department said it would begin reimbursing farms for testing cows without symptoms.

Organizations: Department of Agriculture, New York Times Locations: North Carolina

☆ How electric trucks are becoming the norm for moving cargo
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jonathan Keane | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Drayage trucks, which bring cargo from ports to warehouses nearby, must make the move to electric by 2035 in the U.S. state. Transitioning fleets to electricAcross the Atlantic, Dutch brewer Heineken recently partnered with Swedish electric truck start-up Einride to make the transition to electric. Getting more electric trucks to carry cargo on the road, especially for long-distance journeys, will need to be spearheaded by cargo owners that want their goods moved sustainably. Many of the new trucks will be deployed in markets where DFDS has not yet moved to electric trucks, including in the U.K. In California, Lime's use of electric trucks has been driven by legislation that states all drayage trucks must be zero-emissions by 2035.

Persons: Andrew Savage, we've, Savage, Arjen van der Woude, that's, van der Woude, Sweden's, Robert Falck, " Falck, Lime's Savage Organizations: PT Vale, Hight Logistics, CNBC, Heineken, DFDS, Volvo Locations: PT Vale Indonesia, China, California, U.S ., North America, Los Angeles, Long, Canada, Dutch, Swedish, Netherlands, Germany, Europe, Rotterdam

☆ Opinion: The next pandemic threat demands action now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Opinion Jaime M. Yassif | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Well, so far US officials are saying they believe there is minimal risk to the public from the latest iteration of bird flu. According to the Global Health Security Index, there are significant gaps in countries’ pandemic preparedness capabilities. Given the impact of Covid, it is deeply disappointing that national governments are not investing the necessary resources to build life-saving pandemic preparedness capacity. Making matters worse, Congress has made major cuts to pandemic preparedness funding, as part of the ongoing appropriations process. Playing the long game also means supporting the World Bank Pandemic Fund, which is designed to invest in long-term pandemic preparedness capacity of low- and middle-income countries.

Persons: Jaime M, Yassif, ”, —, we’ve, US Department of Agriculture —, It’s, Biden, Covid Organizations: Global Biological Policy, Nuclear Threat Initiative, CNN, Yassif Nuclear, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, US Department of Health, Human Services, CDC, US Department of Agriculture, Global Health, Brown, Pandemic Center, Gates Foundation, NTI, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Global Health Security, Bank, Fund, pandemics Locations: Texas , Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Covid, United States

☆ Taking too much of these 4 popular supplements can be dangerous, a toxicologist warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Serafina Kenny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But too much of supplements, including fish oil and vitamin D, can be harmful. A toxicologist shared the side effects of overdoing some of the most popular supplements. AdvertisementChilcott shared the long-term risks of taking too much of some of the most popular supplements. You're unlikely to get symptoms from taking too much vitamin D if you're taking less than 250 mcg a day, according to the ODS. Of all the supplements Chilcott spoke about, he said this was the one that's the most potentially risky, but only at very high doses.

Persons: —, Rob Chilcott, Chilcott, it's Organizations: Service, University of Hertfordshire, FDA, Cleveland Clinic, BI, US Food and Drug Administration

☆ 32-year-old in Brooklyn brought in $400,000 last year selling cheese
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As a little girl, Caroline Hesse would practice writing her name and get upset that it could be shortened to C. Hesse. "I didn't want to be the weird cheese girl." Twenty-five years later, Hesse proudly says she's grown from the "weird cheese girl" to the "the weird cheese woman." That's because the 32-year-old spends her days in a Brooklyn warehouse operating her very own cheese mongering business: C. Hesse Cheese. Hesse says she's not a traditional cheesemonger because she doesn't have a brick-and-mortar cheese shop.

Persons: Caroline Hesse, Hesse, she's, Hesse Cheese Organizations: CNBC Locations: Hesse, Brooklyn, New York City, Florida , Texas, New Mexico

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