A researcher performs a rapid antigen test on milk from a dairy cow inoculated against avian flu in a containment building at the National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, in July.USDA/AP

The United States Department of Agriculture will begin mandatory testing of U.S. milk supplies for avian flu. Friday announcement This was a departure from the voluntary testing program for the avian flu virus, known as H5N1.

This strain of avian flu was first detected in U.S. dairy cattle in March, according to the USDA. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that the testing program “will give farmers and farmworkers greater confidence in the safety of their animals and their ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on the path to success.” path to rapid control and stopping the spread of the virus. nationally. »

In addition to giving the USDA the authority to require milk samples and launch a new testing program, the order requires herd owners to provide the department with information that will enable virus surveillance and tracing. contacts. Lab technicians and veterinarians who detect H5N1 must also submit this information to the USDA. The first round of testing is expected to begin on December 16.

THE New York Times reports that the virus infected at least 58 people, most of whom were farm workers. Among cattle, H5N1 has been detected in 720 herds across 15 states. The CDC said last month that it had seen no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus, although reports There has been concern that some people appear to have contracted the virus without interacting with an infected animal.

Experts said THE Times that they were disappointed with the speed of the transition to a mandatory testing program. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, called the expanded testing “long overdue.” She explained: “Testing bulk milk is the primary way we identify outbreaks on farms, which is essential to preventing serious illness in farmworkers who have been exposed. »

Besides farmworkers, the relatively small number of Americans who choose to consume raw, unpasteurized milk are at particular risk of contracting bird flu. Almost all milk sold in the United States is pasteurized, eliminating the risk of contracting the virus. As Mother Jones reported Earlier this year, promoting raw milk became a trend among wellness influencers on sites like TikTok:

Raw milk influencers have large audiences, including some whose content doesn’t just focus on food. Take model Liz Siebert, who has more than a million followers on TikTok and made videos last year about how she gets her raw milk from a nearby Amish farm, saying raw milk helps her regained his health and reduced his allergy symptoms (most of these clips have now been removed, but the reaction videos debunking his claims have not). Raw milk is also a big hit among fitness influencers and “crunchy” moms—parents who want a “natural” diet, like in the good old days, when viruses killed many more people.

Another potential reason to worry is who Donald Trump wants to put in charge of public health. As Mother Jones explain Thursday:

Additionally, Trump is seeking to bring in prominent vaccine deniers to oversee agencies crucial to the nation’s response to bird flu. If Trump gets his way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be run by Tom Weldonwho sought to suppress the agency’s ability to conduct vaccine safety research and himself spread misinformation about vaccines. He also typed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “go wild on health” as director of health and social services. Kennedy has been called one of “theDozen of misinformation” For spread disinformation on Covid-19 vaccine safety, and its anti-vaccine efforts contributed to a deadly 2019 measles epidemic in American Samoa. He also stated “No vaccine is safe and effective” and is apparently a raw milk fanwhich can be a led to spread bird flu.