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A new report reveals the shocking extent of a salmonella outbreak linked to raw milk products.
Detailed in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak took place between September 2023 and March 2024 and affected over 160 people.
Report authors noted that the scope of the sickness makes the California case “one of the largest food-borne outbreaks linked to raw milk in recent US history.”
The California Department of Public Health was first notified of the issue when nine people reported symptoms after consuming raw milk products from the same dairy, prompting an investigation by state and federal officials.
Last year’s outbreak disproportionately affected young children with a median age of 7. This is especially concerning as children are more vulnerable to the pathogen.
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized, or heated to temperatures that can kill potentially harmful microbes.
According to the FDA, illness typically occurs 12 to 72 hours after eating food contaminated with salmonella bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, and can be much more severe for children under age five, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
In some severe cases, salmonella can spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract and into the blood, brain, bones, and joints.
“Commercially distributed raw dairy products have the potential to cause large and widespread infectious disease outbreaks,” the report cautioned.
In the latest outbreak, 70% of the total cases affected kids and teens: 67 cases occurred in children under 5, 40 cases occurred in children ages 5 to 12, and 13 cases occurred in teens under 18.
While no deaths were reported, 22 cases required hospitalization, and 18 of those patients were children under 18.
Prior to this latest outbreak, salmonella outbreaks have been relatively rare in number and scope.Between 2009 and 2021, there were 16 raw milk-related outbreaks, affecting between two and 33 people.
Contamination can occur at various points throughout the milking process, as bacteria linger everywhere from the cow’s udders to the farmer’s hands.
In addition to salmonella, raw milk can carry or contain bird flu viruses, listeria, E.coli, campylobacter, cryptosporidium, and brucella.
For children under 5, pregnant people, the elderly, and the immunocompromised, these pathogens can be life-threatening.
Pasteurization of animal milk has been widely adopted as a basic public health measure, according to the FDA.
“There are many risks of consuming raw milk,” Dr. Uzma Syed, a board-certified infectious disease specialist and Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, previously told The Post.
“Pasteurization has enabled safe consumption of milk for decades.”
In a 2023 study, 4.4% of Americans reported drinking raw milk in the past year, while 1% said they drink it weekly.
Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. is among the growing contingent of raw milk devotees, proclaiming in 2022 that it’s the only kind he drinks.
Presently, as many as 30 states, including California, allow raw milk to be sold. While the remaining 20 states prohibit raw milk sales in some form, a growing number of state legislatures are revisiting the raw milk debate — Iowa legalized the sale of raw milk in 2023, while Illinois re-upped a bill to expand sales last year.
In California, raw milk is regulated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture CDFA which requires raw milk dairy farms to obtain a permit and pass dairy farm and bottling sanitation inspections. Raw milk must meet strict bacterial and cell count limits and be kept at 45°F or below. In addition, cows must be annually tested for brucellosis and tuberculosis.
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