Health

(NEW YORK) — Weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit their lowest level ever reported since the pandemic began, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were 5,615 COVID hospitalizations in the most recent week data that is available. In comparison, there were over 150,000 weekly admissions at the peak of the Omicron variant circulating in early 2022.

“The significant decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths to these new lows is encouraging, showing that our public health measures and vaccination efforts have paid off,” said Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.

Forecasts of new hospitalizations from the CDC indicate that admissions will likely remain stable for the next four weeks.

“It’s important to continue monitoring for new variants and maintaining protective health behaviors to prevent possible surges,” Brownstein added.

The news comes as the requirements for hospitals to report respiratory illness data, like COVID hospital admissions, expire at the end of April. Federal officials plan to use other data sources such as wastewater, laboratory tests and emergency department data to stay informed about the spread of illnesses.

“A key lesson we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of having reporting systems in place before an active emergency,” a CDC spokesperson said in part of a statement. “These data have a significant and ongoing value for protecting patient health and safety as well as public health,” the statement continued.

Data from the CDC shows that about 22.6% of adults as well as 14% of children have received the updated COVID vaccine, which is formulated to better protect against current sub variants. Older adults over the age of 65 were recommended to receive an additional updated COVID vaccine this spring due to their increased risk of severe disease, according to the CDC.

The Food and Drug Administration’s independent panel of advisors is set to meet in mid-March to discuss the recommended strains to be selected in the next formulation of COVID vaccines. As the virus has evolved since the beginning of the pandemic, vaccines have been adjusted to better protect against current strains.

COVID deaths have also been steadily declining this year, reaching new lows. There were an estimated 231 deaths from COVID in the most recent week data that is available, according to the CDC. However, death data are delayed and may be incomplete.

At the height of the pandemic, there were over 25,000 Americans dying weekly from the virus as the Delta variant swept across the country.

“It’s crucial that we maintain robust surveillance and data collection to quickly respond to any changes in the virus’s behavior,” Brownstein said.

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(NEW YORK) — Federal officials continue to investigate the spread of avian flu, also known as bird flu, in livestock across the country and are now testing the U.S. beef supply to look for the genetic presence of the H5N1 virus.

The virus has been found in at least 34 cattle herds across nine states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The federal agency said it remains confident that the nation’s meat supply is safe.

“There have been no cases of any human being contracting bird flu or H5N1 from meat or milk. So it’s completely safe,” Dr. Scott Haskell, a professor of food safety at the Institute for Food Laws and Regulations at Michigan State University, told ABC News. “It’s not a disease that spreads through eating or drinking.”

A spokesperson from the USDA said in a statement: “USDA has a rigorous meat inspection process, where USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) veterinarians are present at all federal livestock slaughter facilities.”

The news from the USDA comes after the Food and Drug Administration noted that fragments of the virus were found in the commercial milk supply. Later tests showed that the widespread practice of pasteurization inactivated the virus.

“This additional testing did not detect any live, infectious virus. These results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said.

Experts said people should still be careful of consuming raw milk or products made from raw milk.

“Raw milk is unpasteurized and has a plethora of bacteria and viruses in it … if there is any bird flu in the [raw] milk, it’s not going to be denatured or killed. So, you run a minor risk from raw milk,” Haskell explained.

The USDA said it will begin work on three separate beef studies: sampling ground beef at retail stores in states where cattle have tested positive; sampling beef muscle from sick dairy cows that have been culled; and conducting experiments that test cooking ground beef to various temperatures.

“Despite our confidence in the safety of the meat supply, the importance of continued and comprehensive investigations remains critical. These studies are crucial for maintaining public trust and ensuring that our food safety measures evolve in response to new information about H5N1,” said Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.

Only meat that has passed inspection can be sold in grocery stores or restaurants, according to the USDA. The agency has veterinarians that are present at all federal livestock slaughter facilities where animals are inspected before and after slaughter.

Officials continue to recommend safe handling of food to help prevent foodborne illnesses: wash hands and surfaces often, separate raw meats from other foods, cook meat to the right temperature and chill food promptly in a refrigerator. Ground beef should be cooked to 160F and ground poultry to 165F, according to the USDA.

“The USDA’s ongoing studies into the safety of beef considering the H5N1 findings in dairy cattle underscore the thoroughness of our food safety protocols,” Brownstein added.

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(NEW YORK) — Rural Americans are more likely to die early from one of the five leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas, according to new federal data.

Researchers looked at the number of potentially preventable deaths from 2010 through 2022. The report was published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rural Americans were more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease before age 80 compared to urbanites, researchers said.

“There is a well-described, rural-urban divide in the United States, where rural residents tend to be sicker and poorer and to have worse health outcomes than do their non-rural peers,” Dr. Macarena Garcia, a senior health scientist in the CDC’s Office of Rural Health, said during a press conference on Monday.

About 20% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas while the remaining 80% live in urban areas, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Previous research has indicated that rural Americans face numerous health care challenges including long travel distances to special and emergency care and are less likely to have health insurance. Additionally, rural Americans have higher rates of high blood pressure and obesity.

For the report, researchers identified premature deaths as occurring before age 80. The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 79 in 2010. The number of preventable early deaths was calculated by subtracting the number of expected deaths by the number of actual deaths.

Although COVID-19 has been the third- or fourth-leading cause of death since 2020, the CDC said deaths from the virus were “excluded to maintain consistency and facilitate the assessment of trends over time.”

Since 2010, an estimated 6.37 million Americans have died prematurely from the five leading causes over the 12-year study period. Researchers found that about 64% of deaths from unintentional injury — which includes car accidents, falls, accidental shootings, unintentional poisonings, overdose deaths and drownings — could have been prevented.

The report found 34% of stroke and heart disease deaths were preventable as were 26% of deaths from chronic lower respiratory disease.

Results showed the percentage of preventable deaths were highest in rural counties versus urban ones.

For example, 44% of heart disease deaths among people below age 80 in rural areas were potentially preventable compared with 27% in urban areas. More than half of early deaths from unintentional injury and chronic lower respiratory disease in rural areas were preventable.

For deaths from cancer, less than 20% of deaths were preventable in rural counties.

“We have to remember that screening prevention services as well as treatment services are much more accessible in urban areas,” Garcia said. “So that means they are limited in rural areas. Sometimes people have to drive two, three hours to the nearest center that provides specialty care.”

She went on, “So that means people go without preventive services. People in rural areas likely have lower rates of screening and certainly have less access to treatment.”

When it came to geographic variation, Garcia said the CDC analysis showed consistently that the southeastern U.S. was the region with the highest prevalence of preventable early deaths.

In 2022, for example, the CDC found that when in came to unintentional injuries, between 70% and 100% of early deaths in several southeastern states including South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee could have been prevented. By comparison, between 30% and 66% of deaths could have been prevented in the majority of states.

The CDC said it is trying to improve rural health by funding and guiding public health programs in rural communities such as increasing cancer screenings for women and promoting physical education in schools.

“We believe these findings can help guide focused public health interventions at the local and community levels to effectively reduce the risks of premature death,” Garcia said during the press briefing. “The findings also suggest a need to better understand potential shifts in social, environmental and structural inequities contributing to disparities in preventable early deaths between rural and urban areas.”

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(NEW YORK) — Breast cancer screening guidelines have been finalized by a major task force, bringing the recommended age to 40 for most women of average risk in a report published Tuesday.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a major task force consisting of expert physicians providing recommendations in the primary care setting for routine medical screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive medications, is now recommending breast cancer screening with mammograms every other year for women with an average risk of developing breast cancer, starting at age 40. This guidance was previously drafted in May 2023, and nearly one year later, these recommendations have been finalized without major changes.

Previously, the USPSTF guidance said screening should start at age 50, but the age was dropped to account for the 2% increase in breast cancer diagnosis rates each year among women in their 40s. By lowering the screening age, the USPSTF predicts this change has the potential to avert 1.3 cases of death from breast cancer per 1000 women over a lifetime of screening. The recommendations are otherwise consistent with prior 2016 guidelines.

The updated guidelines also addressed ongoing racial disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and survival rates, particularly for Black women. According to the USPSTF, Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer compared to white women. In addition to calling for more research on racial disparities and screening strategies in breast cancer, the USPSTF additionally noted this drop in screening age was included to hopefully address these disparities.

The updated recommendations will not impact insurance coverage, but by law, mammograms should be covered by insurance for all women 40 and older.

The finalized guidelines for routine screening mammograms apply to cisgender women and those assigned female at birth who are between the ages of 40 and 74 with an average risk of developing breast cancer.

The guidance also notes that almost half of all women have dense breasts, which places them at risk for breast cancer.

“In patients with dense breast tissue, addition of MRI may reduce cancer risk and false positive recalls,” said Dr. Nancy Chan, Medical Oncologist, NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, in prepared remarks.

These recommendations do not apply to women with a personal history of breast cancer, those at very high risk for breast cancer following genetic testing, or a history of high-dose radiation therapy to their chest at a young age, or those with a history of breast lesions requiring one or more biopsies. Therefore, considerations should be made to start screening at an even earlier age.

For women aged 75 or older, the USPSTF continues to recommend that they speak to their healthcare providers on whether to continue routine screening, based on their medical history and personal preferences.

“Millions of women over age 75 are in very good health and are expected to live many more years during which their risk of breast cancer remains high. The ACS does not support stopping screening for anyone with a 10+ year life expectancy irrespective of age,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, Chief Executive Officer at the American Cancer Society (ACS), in prepared remarks.

For now, the USPSTF guidance recommends every-other-year screening, rather than annual screening. Some debate still exists about the appropriate rate of screening, with an accompanying JAMA editorial citing ACS that there is enough evidence to recommend annual screening for most women.

“The USPSTF decision today is a critical change concerning women’s health and the fight against breast cancer, acknowledging that women in their 40s will benefit from mammography screening, and sending a strong message to referring physicians and women that breast cancer screening should begin earlier than age 50,” Knudsen said in prepared remarks.

“Mammography screening is the cornerstone of our strategy to find this potentially deadly disease early, when it’s easier to treat successfully,” Knudsen continued.

Dr. Jennifer Miao is a cardiology fellow at Yale School of Medicine/Yale New Haven Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK) — Breast cancer screening guidelines have been finalized by a major task force, bringing the recommended age to 40 for most women of average risk in a report published Tuesday.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a major task force consisting of expert physicians providing recommendations in the primary care setting for routine medical screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive medications, is now recommending breast cancer screening with mammograms every other year for women with an average risk of developing breast cancer, starting at age 40. This guidance was previously drafted in May 2023, and nearly one year later, these recommendations have been finalized without major changes.

Previously, the USPSTF guidance said screening should start no later than age 50. The Task Force recommended that women in their 40s talk to their doctor about their individual risk. The age for routine screening was dropped to account for the 2% increase in breast cancer diagnosis rates each year among women in their 40s.

By lowering the screening age, the USPSTF predicts this change has the potential to avert 1.3 cases of death from breast cancer per 1000 women over a lifetime of screening. The recommendations are otherwise consistent with prior 2016 guidelines.

The updated guidelines also addressed ongoing racial disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and survival rates, particularly for Black women. According to the USPSTF, Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer compared to white women. In addition to calling for more research on racial disparities and screening strategies in breast cancer, the USPSTF additionally noted this drop in screening age was included to hopefully address these disparities.

The updated recommendations will not impact insurance coverage, but by law, mammograms should be covered by insurance for all women 40 and older.

The finalized guidelines for routine screening mammograms apply to cisgender women and those assigned female at birth who are between the ages of 40 and 74 with an average risk of developing breast cancer.

The guidance also notes that almost half of all women have dense breasts, which places them at risk for breast cancer.

“In patients with dense breast tissue, addition of MRI may reduce cancer risk and false positive recalls,” said Dr. Nancy Chan, Medical Oncologist, NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, in prepared remarks.

These recommendations do not apply to women with a personal history of breast cancer, those at very high risk for breast cancer following genetic testing, or a history of high-dose radiation therapy to their chest at a young age, or those with a history of breast lesions requiring one or more biopsies. Therefore, considerations should be made to start screening at an even earlier age.

For women aged 75 or older, the USPSTF continues to recommend that they speak to their healthcare providers on whether to continue routine screening, based on their medical history and personal preferences.

“Millions of women over age 75 are in very good health and are expected to live many more years during which their risk of breast cancer remains high. The ACS does not support stopping screening for anyone with a 10+ year life expectancy irrespective of age,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, Chief Executive Officer at the American Cancer Society (ACS), in prepared remarks.

For now, the USPSTF guidance recommends every-other-year screening, rather than annual screening. Some debate still exists about the appropriate rate of screening, with an accompanying JAMA editorial citing ACS that there is enough evidence to recommend annual screening for most women.

“The USPSTF decision today is a critical change concerning women’s health and the fight against breast cancer, acknowledging that women in their 40s will benefit from mammography screening, and sending a strong message to referring physicians and women that breast cancer screening should begin earlier than age 50,” Knudsen said in prepared remarks.

“Mammography screening is the cornerstone of our strategy to find this potentially deadly disease early, when it’s easier to treat successfully,” Knudsen continued.

Dr. Jennifer Miao is a cardiology fellow at Yale School of Medicine/Yale New Haven Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.

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(NEW YORK) — About 152 people across 30 counties in West Virginia have been exposed to measles, state health officials said Friday.

Earlier this week, the first confirmed case of measles in the state since 2009 was identified, according to the West Virginia Department of Health (WVDH). The patient was someone who was undervaccinated and had a history of recent international travel, the department said.

State health leaders said that since then, they’ve learned of dozens of exposed individuals including 128 West Virginia residents and 24 out-of-state contacts from four neighboring states.

Of the people who were exposed, 62% don’t have documentation proving they are protected against measles and are considered at risk, according to WVDH.

“The Bureau for Public Health is strongly recommending those exposed individuals with no evidence of immunity against the virus quarantine until May 9 or 10, 2024, depending on their last date of exposure,” the department said in a release.

The WVDH did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

The news about the possible exposure comes amid a rapid increase in the number of measles cases during the first quarter of 2024, in part due to several localized outbreaks, including at a children’s hospital and daycare center in Philadelphia, an elementary school in Florida and a migrant center in Chicago.

As of Friday, 128 cases have been reported in 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half of those infected were under 5 years old and 81% are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status, the federal health agency said.

Measles is a highly transmissible virus. It’s so infectious that a measles patient could infect up to 90% of close contacts who are not immune, either through prior infection or vaccination, according to the CDC.

The CDC currently recommends that everyone receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, with the first dose between ages 12 and 15 months and the second dose between ages 4 and 6.

Why does the US keep experiencing measles outbreaks?

One dose of the measles vaccine is 93% effective at preventing infection if exposed to the virus, and two doses are 97% effective, according to the CDC.

The WVDH said it is working closely with the Monongalia County Health Department, where the positive measles case was identified, to make sure health officials have adequate testing supplies and MMR vaccine availability.

“The Bureau for Public Health recommends the safe and effective MMR vaccination as part of a routine vaccination schedule for all children and adults,” the department said in the release. “With summer travel coming up and people going to and coming from countries that have seen sharp upticks in measles cases, the time is now to be sure you and your family members are up-to-date on their MMR vaccine.”

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(NEW YORK) — Public health officials are continuing to monitor as an outbreak of avian flu, also known as bird flu, continues to spread across the country.

The strain, known as H5N1, has sickened several mammals this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Several dairy cows have been infected, resulting in milk samples showing inactive remnants of the virus, and one human case has been confirmed.

Health officials say the food supply is safe and the risk to the general public is currently low.

Here’s the latest to know on the outbreak:

What is bird flu?

Avian influenza, or bird flu, is an infectious viral disease that primarily spreads among birds and is caused by infection with Influenza A viruses.

These viruses typically spread among wild aquatic birds but can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species, according to the CDC.

Although bird flu viruses normally don’t infect humans, there have been rare cases of infection. To confirm infection, laboratory testing is required.

Signs and symptoms of infection in humans often include sore throat, cough, fever, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle or body aches, fatigue and shortness of breath. Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

Infections can range from no symptoms or mild illness, such as flu-like symptoms, to more severe illness, such as pneumonia that could require hospitalizations, the CDC says.

How did the outbreak begin?

In early March, the USDA announced a bird flu strain that had sickened millions of birds across the U.S was identified in several mammals this year.

At the time, three states had reported cases of bird flu in mammals in 2024, including striped skunks found in Washington state, a mountain lion in Montana and a raccoon in Kentucky.

A few weeks later, federal and state public health officials said they were investigating an illness among primarily older dairy cows in Kansas, New Mexico and Texas and causing symptoms including decreased lactation and low appetite.

The USDA said in a statement at the time that “there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health.”

First human case of bird flu

Earlier this month, the CDC said a human case of bird flu was identified in Texas and linked to cattle. The infected individual worked directly with sick cattle and reported eye redness as their only symptom.

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This is the second human case of H5N1 ever reported in the U.S. but the first linked to cattle.

However, there have been no reports and no evidence to indicate there is person-to-person transmission, a CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told ABC News at the time.

The CDC said it considers the health risk assessment to the general public to be low.

Inactive fragments found in milk samples

Earlier this week, reports emerged of bird flu fragments found in samples of pasteurized milk. However, the fragments are inactive remnants of the virus and cannot cause infection as the commercial milk supply undergoes pasteurization.

Federal agencies maintain the U.S. commercial milk supply remains safe because milk is pasteurized and dairy farmers are required to dispose of any milk from sick cows, so it does not enter the supply.

“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said in an update.

The FDA said in its update that fragments of the virus are likely inactivated by the pasteurization process.

“The discovery of bird flu virus fragments in commercial milk is significant, not because it poses a direct threat to public health, but because it indicates a broader exposure among dairy cattle than we previously understood,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor. “This calls for an expanded surveillance of both the virus’s presence and its potential impact on food safety.”

He added, “It’s crucial to continue rigorous testing to determine if any live virus can survive the process. Understanding the dynamics of this virus in dairy products will help us refine our risk assessments and ensure public health safety.”

The FDA said it is collaborating closely with the CDC’s food safety group surveillance team to monitor emergency department data and flu testing data for any unusual trends in flu-like illness, flu or conjunctivitis. There is currently no data showing any unusual trends or activity.

ABC News Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The overall number of births in the United States dropped in 2023 as teenage births reached a record low, according to new provisional federal data published early Thursday.

In 2023, there were 3.59 million births recorded, a 2% decline from the 3.66 million recorded in 2022, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

This follows what has been a general decline since the mid-2010s. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of births fell an average of 2% per year from 2015 to 2020, including a decline of 4% from 2019 to 2020.

Births slightly rose, by 1%, from 2020 to 2021, and the number remained generally steady from 2021 to 2022, according to the report.

By maternal age, provisional birth rates declined for several age groups including teenagers between ages 15 and 19. For this group, the rate in 2023 was 13.2 births per 1,000 females down 3% from the rate of 13.6 per 1,000 in 2022, another record low for that age group.

Aside from an increase in 2006 and 2007, the teen birth rate in the U.S. has been continuously declining since 1991. From 2007 through 2023, rates for younger teens (ages 15-17) and older teens (ages 18-19) declined by 8% and 6% per year, respectively, the report found.

Reasons for the decline in teen pregnancy are not clear but the CDC says evidence suggests it’s due to a mix of more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more sexually active teens using birth control.

Birth rates also declined for women between ages 20 to 29 and ages 30 to 39. For pre-teens and teens between ages 10 and 14 and women aged 40 and older, rates were relatively unchanged from 2022 to 2023.

Additionally, the fertility rate for women between ages 15 and 44 was 54.4 births per 1,000, down 3% from 2022, the report said. Similarly, the fertility rate had been declining from 2014 to 2020, rose from 2020 to 2021, and then began declining again.

“The total fertility rate in 2023 remained below replacement — the level at which a given generation can exactly replace itself (2,100 births per 1,000 women),” the report read. “The rate has generally been below replacement since 1971 and consistently below replacement since 2007.”

When broken down by race/ethnicity, nearly every group saw a decline in the provisional numbers of births with the biggest drop being 5% for American Indian and Alaska Native women. Hispanic women were the only group to see births rise, increasing by 1%, and the number was essentially unchanged for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander women.

The report also looked at Cesarean delivery rates and found that in 2023, the overall rate increased to 32.4%, from 32.1% in 2022. According to the report, this is the fourth annual consecutive increase after the rate had been in decline since 2009 and the highest rate since 32.7% in 2013.

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(NEW YORK) — The nearly 30 million kids who eat meals at schools each day in the United States will soon see some changes to the food they are served.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a series of changes to nutrition standards for school meals, including one that is a historic first.

Here are three things to know about the changes coming to breakfast and lunch meals served at school:

1. Added sugars will now be limited in meals

The biggest change announced by the USDA is that, for the first time, there will be limits on added sugars in school meals.

Currently, schools only have to meet weekly calorie limits, regardless of the added sugars in the foods they serve, according to the USDA.

With this new change, beginning on July 1, 2025, breakfast cereals served at schools will be limited to no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce; yogurt may have no more than 2 grams of added sugars per ounce; and flavored milk may have no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces.

In addition, a second rule, which will take effect on July 1, 2027, requires that added sugars be less than 10% of calories across the week in the school lunch and breakfast programs, according to the USDA.

“USDA heard concerns from parents and teachers about excessive amounts of added sugars in some foods, which factored into this new limit,” the agency said in a news release announcing the changes. “Research shows that these added sugars are most commonly found in typical school breakfast items.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children under the age of 2 should not have any added sugars in their diet.

For people age 2 and over, added sugars should constitute less than 10% of their daily calories, according to the CDC. If a child consumes 1,600 calories per day, for example, no more than 160 calories of those should come from added sugars.

Eating too many added sugars — common in processed foods, desserts, and sugar-sweetened beverages — is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay and heart disease, according to to the CDC.

2. Sodium is being gradually reduced in school meals

Beginning on July 1, 2027, school lunches will see a 15% reduction from current limits, while sodium in breakfast meals will see a 10% reduction, according to the USDA.

The USDA said it is allowing current sodium standards to remain for the next three years to give schools, manufacturers, and the general public time to adapt.

“USDA is providing about three years for implementation of the sodium reduction in response to public comments that suggested it takes about three years for manufacturers to reformulate products,” the agency said. “Public comments also indicated that children are more likely to accept lower sodium school meals if the meals they consume outside of school are lower in sodium. To that end, other federal agencies are supporting efforts to improve dietary behaviors among the U.S. population.”

Eating too much sodium, the majority of which comes from processed foods, can “increase your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease and stroke,” according to the CDC.

3. Chocolate milk will still be served, but with limits

The USDA said it will allow schools to continue to sell fat-free and low-fat and flavored and unflavored milk to students.

Beginning on July 1, 2025, however, flavored milk sold at schools will have to meet the new added sugars limits.

Flavored milk offered to K-12 students in school breakfast and lunch must contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces, according to the USDA, while flavored milk sold a la carte in middle and high schools must have no more than 15 grams of added sugars per 12 fluid ounces.

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(NEW YORK) — As federal agencies and state partners continue investigating outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) — more commonly referred to as bird flu — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it discovered fragments of the virus in some samples of milk.

In an update from the FDA, the agency said it tested milk samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and found the presence of fragments of the virus, which is not the same as infectious virus and currently poses no increased risk to human health.

“Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles,” the FDA said.

“At this point, when you look for something in public health, science and medicine, your chances of finding it go up,” ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said.

Citing a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ashton said, “the overall risk to the general American population is low, particularly from dairy cows, however, ‘they are taking this very seriously.'”

What to know about bird flu and safety of milk supply

Importantly, the FDA stated, “we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe” and expect new results from multiple studies “in the next few days to weeks.”

Concerns were first raised last month when HPAI was detected in dairy cows across multiple states, but the USDA and FDA maintain that the U.S. commercial milk supply remains safe due to “the pasteurization process and the diversion or destruction of milk from sick cows.”

“Nearly all (99%) of the commercial milk supply that is produced on dairy farms in the U.S. comes from farms that participate in the Grade ‘A’ milk program and follow the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), which includes controls that help ensure the safety of dairy products,” the FDA update continued.

Aside from pasteurized milk, both the FDA and CDC warn against drinking raw milk or products made with it that are typically bought at farms or local stores, due to possible viruses or bacteria that can lead to infection or foodborne illness.

Twenty states explicitly prohibit raw milk sales in some form. And milk that travels across state lines must be pasteurized, according to federal regulations.

HPAI was first detected in 1996 and there have only been two cases of human H5N1 in the U.S. so far. There have been no reports of human-to-human spread in the U.S.

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