These influencers, RFK Jr. can't get enough of raw milk. But what about bird flu?

An unquenchable thirst has taken over the internet.

Raw milk can't be sold for consumption in as many as 20 states, but influencers, moms and even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can't get enough of it — despite warnings from healthcare professionals and food scientists that it poses a plethora of health risks. Raw milk can contain high levels of bacteria, including listeria and a strain of E. coli that can cause kidney failure and death, while milk sold in stores goes through the pasteurization process to kill pathogens that cause disease.

Last year, a new virus was added to the list of concerns: bird flu (H5N1). As of November 2024, bird flu had spread to 505 herds of dairy cows in 15 states since March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That rate has since grown exponentially, with the current tally at 957 total cases in 16 states. In January, the first human death from bird flu in the United States was reported in Louisiana.