Raw milk is consumed by an estimated 1-3 percent of the United States
population. Raw milk and raw cheeses are responsible for almost 70
percent of reported dairy outbreaks. On July 16, 2008, the Connecticut
Department of Public Health identified two unrelated children who had
experienced hemolytic uremic syndrome after consuming raw milk from the
same farm. The authors investigated the situation further and found
more cases of people affected by raw milk from the same farm. The
details of their study are chronicled in the Dec. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, available online.
Fourteen cases were identified and seven were confirmed. The E. coli found
in a fecal sample from one of the dairy cows at the farm matched the
outbreak strain. Despite acceptable regulation milking standards and
sanitation procedures, it is believed that fecal contamination from an
asymptomatic cow occurred during milking or the handling of milk.
In
response to this outbreak, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture
proposed legislation supported by the Connecticut Department of Public
Health that included three control measures for raw milk: the
strengthening of prominently displayed labels containing a detailed
warning, increasing the frequency of raw milk testing from quarterly to
monthly, and limiting raw milk sale to farm premises.
“This
finding reinforces the fact that pasteurization remains the most
effective method for ensuring the safety of milk,” said study author
Alice Guh, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“However,” she added, “in states where attempts to implement
pasteurization and ban raw milk sales have been unsuccessful,
alternative control measures to minimize occurrences of raw
milk-associated infections are critically needed. Although the proposed
legislation in Connecticut was not passed due to the strong opposition
of raw milk advocates, this outbreak led to the discontinuation of raw
milk sales in at least one major retail store. It also led to the
insurance industry re-evaluating the provision of product liability
insurance to retail stores and milk producers that sell raw milk.”
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