I got a mail from Brent Barrett regarding outbreaks related to drinking raw milk. I wish to post that mail on my blog.
My Thanks to: Brent Barrett
Greenwood, Indiana
salbrent@sbcglobal.net
For Immediate Release: March 26, 2010
Media Inquiries: Siobhan DeLancey, 301-796-4668, siobhan.delancey@fda.hhs.gov
Stephanie Kwisnek, 301-436-1856, stephanie.kwisnek@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
Public Health Agencies Warn of Outbreaks Related to Drinking Raw Milk
Latest outbreak of campylobacteriosis in Midwest is linked to unpasteurized product
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with several state
agencies, is alerting consumers to an outbreak of campylobacteriosis
associated with drinking raw milk. At least 12 confirmed illnesses have
been recently reported in Michigan. Symptoms of campylobacteriosis
include diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever.
The FDA is collaborating with the Michigan Department of Community
Health (MDCH), the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Indiana
State Board of Animal Health and the Indiana State Health Department,
to investigate the outbreak. MDCH reports that, as of March 24, 2010,
it received reports of 12 confirmed cases of illness from Campylobacter infections in consumers who drank raw milk. The raw milk originated from Forest Grove Dairy in Middlebury, Ind.
Raw milk is unpasteurized milk from hoofed mammals, such as cows,
sheep, or goats. Raw milk may contain a wide variety of harmful
bacteria – including Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Campylobacter and Brucella -- that may cause illness and possibly death. Public health
authorities, including FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, have expressed concerns about the hazards of drinking raw
milk for decades.
Symptoms of illness caused by various bacteria commonly found in raw
milk may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache
and body ache. Most healthy individuals recover quickly from illness
caused by raw milk. However, some people may have more severe illness,
and the harmful bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous for
pregnant women, the elderly, infants, young children and people with
weakened immune systems.
If consumers of raw milk are experiencing one or more of these
symptoms after consuming raw milk or food products made from raw milk,
they should contact their health care provider immediately.
Since 1987, the FDA has required all milk packaged for human
consumption to be pasteurized before being delivered for introduction
into interstate commerce. Pasteurization, a process that heats milk to
a specific temperature for a set period of time, kills bacteria
responsible for diseases, such as listeriosis, salmonellosis,
campylobacteriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria and
brucellosis. FDA’s pasteurization requirement also applies to other
milk products, with the exception of a few aged cheeses.
From 1998 to 2008, 85 outbreaks of human infections resulting from
consumption of raw milk were reported to CDC. These outbreaks included
a total of 1,614 reported illnesses, 187 hospitalizations and 2 deaths.
Because not all cases of foodborne illness are recognized and reported,
the actual number of illnesses associated with raw milk likely is
greater.
Proponents of drinking raw milk often claim that raw milk is more
nutritious than pasteurized milk and that raw milk is inherently
antimicrobial, thus making pasteurization unnecessary. There is no
meaningful nutritional difference between pasteurized and raw milk, and
raw milk does not contain compounds that will kill harmful bacteria.
For more on the raw milk, please visit www.foodsafety.gov1.
