As a physician, I have been closely following our country’s bird flu crisis. I am especially concerned about the recent revelation that a second type of bird flu has been detected in dairy cows in Nevada and a new strain of the bird flu virus, H5N9, was found in California. These developments are precisely what many public health officials have been most concerned about as it means that bird flu is transforming in a way that could allow it to spread more easily in humans.

For this reason, alarm bells went off for me as I read the news that the new administration has halted the release of public health information related to the bird flu virus and studies that could help reduce the spread of the virus. I call on Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen and my congressman, Jamie Raskin, to do everything in their power to see that communication related to the nation’s bird flu virus epidemic is restored.

Sen. Alsobrooks, in particular, should champion this effort given her appointment to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which is responsible for matters related to public health.

The Trump administration would do well to follow the lead of Maryland, which is taking decisive action to stop the spread of bird flu. Commercial poultry operations on Maryland’s Eastern Shore have been hit hard by H5N1. A backyard flock near my own neighborhood in Montgomery County was also found to have bird flu. Health care professionals like me are watching for symptoms of bird flu and are hopeful that Maryland does not join the list of states in which more than 65 human cases of bird flu have been detected.

Not surprisingly, I am often asked by patients, family members and friends how concerned they should be about the spread of the virus among backyard birds, pets and people. While I wish I could put everyone’s mind at ease, the reality is that our country has experienced the death of a patient who was stricken with bird flu. The bird flu virus has sickened dozens of people, decimated poultry populations and infected dairy cows.

Now is the time to take a hard look at the food production system that puts farm workers in close contact with sick birds and cows, the Standard American Diet that demands it and the health ramifications of both. Bird flu is raising concerns among Americans about the care and wellbeing of our food supply.

A new Morning Consult survey shows that 86% of Americans surveyed would not drink milk if they knew it contained dead bird flu virus. The survey was conducted for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a public health nonprofit. Last spring, Ohio State University researchers found H5N1 viral RNA in 58 of 150 commercially available milk product samples from 10 states. Notably, these milk products were easily available on local grocery store shelves.

Consumers are clear in this new survey that they do not want to consume cow’s milk affected by bird flu virus, even if the milk is pasteurized and the risk of infection is low. What should consumers drink if they are worried about bird flu and want an alternative to cow’s milk?

Fortunately, nutritious plant-based milks are prevalent, tasty and safe for those with lactose intolerance. Almond milk is low in calories, high in vitamin E, and is often fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Soy milk is full of isoflavones, which have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk, and has an amount of protein comparable to cow’s milk. Oat milk has a creamy texture, may help lower cholesterol and is often fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Other plant-based milk alternatives include rice milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, pea milk and hemp milk.

Until we are able to stop the spread of bird flu, the administration should reinstate communication about the virus and allow efforts that could prevent a pandemic to be put back in place.

Dr. Asha Subramanian is a board-certified family physician and lifestyle medicine physician from Rockville. She is a member of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a public health advocacy nonprofit.