The US Food and Drug Administration announced that inactive parts of the avian influenza virus were discovered in pasteurized milk that infected herds of dairy cows in eight states.

According to the administration, the residue does not represent an actual virus and therefore does not pose a health risk to consumers, and that so far nothing has been observed that would change the country's assessment that commercial milk supplies are safe.
In the opinion of scientists, there is no evidence indicating that people can become infected with the virus by consuming pasteurized, heat-treated, or properly cooked foods.

The Food and Drug Administration is testing samples across the country, but officials have not said the source of the positive samples.

While the virus has caused mass mortality in wild birds and other animal populations — even killing thousands of sea lions in South America — the most common symptoms in dairy cows included a reduced amount of milk produced and a decreased appetite, according to the department.