How concerning is it if traces of the bird flu are detected in our wastewater systems?

Two months after the first human case of the bird flu was confirmed in the Texas panhandle, the City of Austin reported that it detected traces of the virus in its wastewater systems. However, city officials said there are no human cases, and the risk to the public is low. RELATED: 1st human case of bird flu reported in Texas linked to exposure to sick cattle Last Friday, ABC13 asked Harris County Public Health in the Houston area if any traces of the H5N1 virus had been detected in the fourth largest U.

S. city and surrounding areas. As of Monday evening, the county health department still hasn't provided an answer.

However, Chris Van Deusen with the Texas Department of State Health Services said that even if the answer is "yes," it doesn't necessarily mean that there are people in our communities who are infected. He explained that traces of the dead virus could still be detected in milk that has been pasteurized if it came from a cow with the bird flu. If someone pours that milk down the drain, that's one it could end up in wastewater systems.

"The way most wastewater testing is done, it's through a test called PCR. What that sort of looks for is fragments of the genetic materials in a virus. So it doesn't necessarily mean it's a live virus," Van Deusen said.

"One thing that could be going on here is the milk coming from cows in another part of the state and going down the drain in our sewer systems." He emphasized that pasteurized milk from an infected cow does not pose a .