In a recent study conducted by Stanford University, scientists have issued a warning about the potential risks associated with the consumption of raw milk. The research, which has been published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters, reveals that the influenza or flu virus can remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days. This discovery comes at a time when the world is grappling with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cattle, raising concerns about the potential for a new pandemic.
The study's senior author, Alexandria Boehm from the Stanford Doerr School of Engineering and the Stanford School of Sustainability, emphasized the potential risk of avian influenza transmission through the consumption of raw milk. She also highlighted the importance of milk pasteurization in preventing such transmission.
Raw milk has been a topic of debate for some time now. Proponents argue that it contains more beneficial nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics than pasteurized milk, and can boost immune and gastrointestinal health. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has linked raw milk to over 200 outbreaks of illnesses.
The FDA warns that germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, present in raw milk, pose serious health risks, especially for children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. The Stanford study explored the persistence of a strain of human influenza virus, known as H1N1 PR8, in raw cow's milk at typical refrigeration temperatures. The researchers found that the virus survived and remained infectious in the milk for up to five days.
Mengyang Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar in civil and environmental engineering and the study's co-lead author, expressed concern about the potential transmission pathways. He pointed out that the virus could contaminate surfaces and other environmental materials within dairy facilities, posing risks to both animals and humans.
Interestingly, the researchers found that flu virus RNA – molecules that carry genetic information but are not considered a health risk – remained detectable in the raw milk for at least 57 days.
By comparison, pasteurization completely destroyed infectious influenza in the milk and reduced the amount of viral RNA by almost 90 per cent, but didn't eliminate the RNA entirely. These findings underscore the importance of improving monitoring systems, particularly as bird flu continues to spread among livestock. The study's authors have called for more robust measures to prevent the potential transmission of the virus through raw milk.
In a similar vein, a groundbreaking medical achievement was reported in Mumbai, where doctors from Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre successfully performed a simultaneous coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) on a 63-year-old patient. This complex dual procedure, a first in India, underscores the growing challenge of managing coexisting cardiovascular and liver diseases, a trend on the rise globally.
The patient, Babu Michael, was diagnosed with cirrhosis seven years ago due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition affecting one-third of India's population and increasingly linked to liver cancer. In 2021, he underwent a focused radiation therapy (SBRT) for liver cancers, a treatment he required again in April 2024. While the tumors were partially controlled, his liver function began to decompensate, necessitating a liver transplant.
