What was being touted online as a health elixir to fend off woes such as asthma, raw milk has now become the target of a new study out of The New England Journal of Medicine, suggesting it could be a vector for the next pandemic.
On Friday, the Journal published a letter to the editor from a cohort of scientists. In their letter, the scientists detailed that the "highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) of the H5N1 subtype was for the first time detected in nasal swabs and milk of dairy cows" in late March 2024.
Conducting an experiment, the researchers fed inoculated mice a sample of untreated raw milk. The mice showed signs of lethargy but nonetheless survived. They were then euthanized, and their organs were studied for signs of infection.
The focus on possible bird flu infections in raw milk comes amid a growing concern out of the World Health Organization that bird flu may become the next pandemic.
"It's infected many different species. That's why we have a whole system in place to be prepared for this," WHO disease expert Maria van Kerkhove said, according to the Daily Mail.
"I'm not saying this to scare people, but for us, it's something that we have to be prepared for. We have to think out of the box. We really prepare for what are the known threats, but also think about something different, perhaps waterborne or whatnot.
"So for me, pandemics, unfortunately, are part of what we will deal with in our lifetimes. I don't believe [COVID-19] will be the last pandemic we will deal with in our lifetimes."
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.