Maryland and Pennsylvania Report Cases of Campylobacter Infection Associated with Raw Milk

Meredith Cohn with The Baltimore Sun reported that six people were infected with Campylobacter by raw milk from the Family Cow dairy store in Chambersburg, Pa., including three in Maryland, according to the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The bacteria causes diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and can progress into a more serious bloodstream infection, usually two to five days after exposure. The state agency and the health department in Pennsylvania are advising consumers to discard any product bought from this farm since Jan. 1.

The implicated milk comes in plastic gallon, half gallon and pint containers and is sold directly to consumers on the farm and at drop off points and retail stores in Pennsylvania. It's illegal to sell unpasteurized milk in Maryland, though some consumers have reported getting it anyway at pre-determined drop off points.

Raw milk has become popular with some people who believe it has superior nutrition because it's not heated to kill germs like pasteurized milk. Studies, however, have not confirmed this, and federal and state authorities continue to warn about the dangers of unpasteurized milk, ice cream, yogurt and some cheeses.

Last year Maryland reported nearly 600 Campylobacter infections. Infections can also come from eating raw or undercooked poultry or from cross-contamination as well as contaminated water in the developing world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the whole story: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-27/health/bs-hs-raw-milk-illness-20120127_1_raw-milk-unpasteurized-milk-organic-milk

Link to state press release: http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/publicrelations/pr/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=96