Raw milk from PA farm causes 35 to become ill
A total of 35 people who consumed raw milk from the Family Cow Farm in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania have become ill.
According to CBSNews, confirmed cases of campylobacter bacterial infection include 28 people in Pennsylvania, four in Maryland, two in West Virginia, and one in New Jersey.
Anyone who bought milk from the Family Cow Farm on or after Jan. 1 is urged by health officials to get rid of it. The farm has suspended their milk production until further notice. Test results of milk samples from the farm may be available Friday.
This incident, although at one particular farm, is indicative of the issues all dairy farms face involving the sale and consumption of raw milk.
The FDA outlined important dangers of unpasteurized milk for consumers on their website. Raw, unpasteurized milk “can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses. These harmful bacteria can seriously affect the health of anyone who drinks raw milk, or eats foods made from raw milk.”
Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, or flulike symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches.
The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, so be sure to be cautious in regards to which type of milk you serve them.
