---
title: Bird Flu Keeps Spreading Through US Dairy Herds, but Store Milk Is Still Safe to Drink
description: H5N1 has passed 1,175 infected US dairy herds, but the FDA says pasteurized milk is safe and the CDC rates public risk as low.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-09-08T15:34:13.043Z
updated: 2026-09-08T15:34:13.067Z
canonical: https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/h5n1-bird-flu-us-dairy-herds-milk-safe
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-holstein-cows-grazing-in-a-lush-green-pasture-under-a-clear--10829198.jpg
categories: Health
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Rich Health Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in US dairy cattle passed 1,175 infected herds across 19 states this week, a total the USDA reported after Idaho confirmed two more infected herds, according to figures shared on September 8, 2026 by STAT infectious-disease reporter Helen Branswell. Idaho now stands at 177 herds, the most of any state. The outbreak was first recognized in March 2024, so the virus has now moved through American dairy cattle for about two and a half years without being contained. For anyone who buys milk and keeps seeing bird-flu headlines, the practical picture is steadier than the herd count suggests: the commercial milk supply is still considered safe, and the risk to people who do not work with animals remains low.

## The Milk and Dairy on Store Shelves Have Tested Clean

Pasteurization inactivates H5N1. The FDA says standard pasteurization, heating milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds, kills the virus, and the agency tested 464 retail pasteurized products including milk, cheese, butter and ice cream and found no live virus in any of them. On that basis the FDA considers the commercial pasteurized milk supply safe to drink. The one caution the agency stresses is raw milk: the FDA advises against drinking unpasteurized milk during the outbreak, because it has not gone through the heat step that neutralizes the virus. Cornell research found that aging raw-milk cheese for 60 days or more does not reliably eliminate the virus, though no illnesses from aged raw-milk cheese have been documented so far.

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