Raw milk has been linked to an outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast, but the Associated Press reports that the popularity of the unpasteurized product has been undimmed by the public health scare.
Health officials have been warning the public about the dangers that raw milk poses for years, and the product has even been banned in 20 states in the U.S. It’s also against federal law to transport unpasteurized milk across state lines. Raw milk is home to a number of potentially dangerous pathogens that cows ingest on the farm such as salmonella, listeria and E. coli.
This time, the pathogen campylobacter is to blame. Raw milk from a Pennsylvania dairy managed to sicken 38 people in four states, causing the farm to temporarily suspend sales of the product. The bacteria has been linked to cases of severe diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. It can be life-threatening if it spreads to the bloodstream, the AP noted.
In the past, raw milk has caused cases of stroke, kidney failure, paralysis and even death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unpasteurized milk is especially dangerous to young children.
By contrast, pasteurization kills such disease-causing germs by heating the milk to high temperatures for a sustained period of time. The resulting milk is rich in proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients.
