“I’m not worried about H5N1 transmission to humans (yet) but the USDA’s pathetic lack of transparency, how long it took for the genomes to be released, lack of testing asymptomatic cattle,” Dr Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, wrote on X.
While the FDA said investigations are ongoing and they are “committed to sharing results as soon as possible”, the latest statement on milk had glaring holes. It did not, for instance, say how many commercial samples were tested, where they were purchased, the percentage PCR-positive for H5N1, or the levels of genetic material found in samples.
“This information was shared with no supporting data, characteristic of the current response,” said Dr Rasmussen. “It’s very unclear why all the relevant data has not been shared rapidly.
“I’m not attributing this to malice, incompetence, territorialism, bureaucracy, or anything else, but it’s very clear that this apparent lack of transparency and urgency to share these relevant data are greatly harming both the US and global capacity to respond.
“It’s a matter of time before we find infected cows elsewhere,” she added. “Cattle – both dairy and beef production – is big business around the world. There are billions of cows. Failing to share information rapidly not only hurts food security, the economy, and human/animal health in the US, it’s preventing a global response to a major global threat.”
Signs of asymptomatic spread
Dr Rasmussen added that the discovery of H5N1 traces in milk is most significant because it is further evidence that the virus is spreading widely in cattle. It may also signal broad asymptomatic spread, which is “very bad news, that makes surveillance and ultimately containment much harder”.
One source also told Science that seemingly healthy cattle had been transported from Texas to North Carolina, bringing the virus with them. This also suggests that herds can be infectious without showing symptoms, which complicates the response.
