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An avian flu infection spreading across cattle herds in Texas has jumped to humans and chickens. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told Fortune <\/em>that officials are still hopeful the outbreak will stay contained\u2014but advised consumers to stop drinking unpasteurized milk until health authorities are certain it\u2019s safe to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing that some of the milk is hot\u2014we first thought that it didn\u2019t transfer from animal to animal, but now we\u2019re rethinking that,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably a good idea not to consume unpasteurized dairy products.\u201d<\/p>\n Agricultural agencies in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico started getting reports last month of an unidentified virus affecting dairy cows in the region. After weeks of testing, the illness was found to be HPAI, a disease spread by migratory birds who had contaminated cows\u2019 water supply. Last week, authorities said they were confident that<\/a> the outbreak would remain contained.<\/p>\n A week later, though, the situation is more severe. Cows in Idaho and Michigan have also tested positive for the virus.<\/a> A dairy worker had contracted an HPAI infection<\/a> and displayed mild symptoms including pink eye, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported<\/a> Monday. Yesterday, the Texas Department of Agriculture disclosed that the outbreak had spread to Cal-Maine Foods<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest egg producer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cal-Maine is killing nearly 2 million hens, around 4% of its population, and destroying millions more eggs in order to contain the virus. Miller said that the virus still shouldn\u2019t have a significant economic impact in terms of commodity prices.<\/p>\n \u201c[Cal-Maine] is our largest egg producer in the United States, but it\u2019s less than 4% of the farm. So I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to see egg or poultry price increases,\u201d Miller said. \u201cSame with dairy\u2014it\u2019s a very, very small amount of [the] overall picture. Consumers are absolutely safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Authorities are still unsure if HPAI can be transmitted through milk from infected dairy cows\u2014hence the warnings against unpasteurized milk. All milk sold across state lines must be pasteurized by law, but unpasteurized milk is legal in dozens of states<\/a> and raw milk and cheese are common at many farmers\u2019 markets. Miller said that consumers shouldn\u2019t worry about eggs, because all potentially hot (or contaminated) eggs have been destroyed.<\/p>\n Miller said that the Texas Agriculture Department and other authorities are working to get answers about how the virus spreads and contain it as soon as possible, providing much-needed relief for the Texas Panhandle region recently devastated by the largest wildfire in the state\u2019s history.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re highly recommending that [workers] use biosecurity measures, especially workers around cattle,\u201d Miller said. \u201c[We\u2019re recommending] respiratory coverings and that workers cover their eyes\u2014things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to Impact Report, a weekly newsletter on the trends and issues shaping corporate sustainability. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n