21 People, Including 6 Children, Sick After Drinking Raw Milk In FL

Twenty-one people in Florida, including six children under the age of 10, fell ill after drinking raw milk connected with a bacteria outbreak, the Florida Department of Health said in a bulletin released Monday.

Seven people who became ill after drinking the milk have been hospitalized, with severe complications reported for at least two cases, health officials said. The department did not specify the ages of those hospitalized.

The raw milk, which is linked to an unidentified Florida farm, was sold in northeast and central Florida.

The milk was connected to recent cases of Campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections, health officials said.

Raw milk, which can come from cows, sheep, goats or other animals, is milk that has not been pasteurized, a heat-treating process that destroys potentially harmful bacteria.

Some consumers have reported benefits of raw milk consumption, including better taste and protective effects for asthma and allergies, the state health department said.

With so many cases linked to the same producer, the “sanitation practices in this farm are of particular concern,” the department added.

While many people safely consume raw milk, it can sometimes contain disease-causing bacteria, including Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella, officials said.

These bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.

STEC bacteria in its most severe form can result in hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is characterized by hemolysis — a breakdown of red blood cells — and kidney failure and is particularly a concern for children.

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Groups at higher risk for severe illness include infants and young children, pregnant women, elderly individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.

Raw milk appears to be gaining in popularity, despite years of warnings about the health risks of drinking unpasteurized products. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say raw milk is one of the “riskiest” foods people can consume.

“We invented pasteurization for a reason,” said Keith Schneider, a food safety professor at the University of Florida. “It’s maddening that this is happening.”

In Florida, the sale and distribution of raw milk for human consumption is illegal, but retailers get around the ban by labeling their products as for pet or animal food only. Schneider called it a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge,” form of regulation.

“Everybody knows that they’re selling it for human consumption,” Schneider said, adding that people getting sick — or even seriously ill — from drinking raw milk is “not a question of if, but when.”

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

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