Senate appropriators question FDA commissioner on H5N1 virus prep
FDA Commissioner Rob Califf told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that milk products are safe from the H5N1 bird flu virus that’s circulating, and the FDA is working with mRNA vaccine manufacturers to try to scale up production in case the virus “jumps into humans on a larger level.”
The FDA has been coordinating closely with the CDC, NIH and USDA to tackle the spread of H5N1, which Califf noted was found in about 20% of a national sample of raw milk. But pasteurization continues to keep the milk safe, and Califf said both the NIH and university agricultural researchers found the same to be true. Califf testified before the committee on Wednesday as part of the FDA’s 2025 budget request.
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