The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has found avian influenza, or “bird flu,” in a raw milk product sample. Following this discovery, the state asked for the product’s removal from stores, prompting Raw Farm, LLC of Fresno County, to issue a recall.
The affected product is cream top whole raw milk, lot code 2024110, with a best buy date of November 27, 2024. While no illnesses have been linked to this batch yet, customers may still have it at home. Avian flu symptoms typically appear 2–5 days after exposure but can take up to 17 days.
The CDC lists potential symptoms as fever, chills, eye redness, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, muscle aches, and fatigue.
California is also facing bird flu outbreaks among livestock. As of November 22, over 400 dairy herds and numerous poultry farms have been affected. Twenty-nine human cases have been reported, mostly among individuals in close contact with infected livestock. However, experts believe cases are underreported, and the severity of human disease remains unclear. Recently, the CDC confirmed a case of H5N1 in a child in California with no known livestock contact.
