Nearly two dozen people in Florida are ill after drinking raw milk from the same farm

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19 hours ago

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Nearly two dozen people have developed food poisoning in Florida after consuming tainted raw milk from the same farm, according to the state's Department of Health.
Florida officials didn't name the milk producer, but in a bulletin about the outbreak, they said they were warning about the 'continued recent cases' because 'sanitation practices in this farm are of particular concern … ' The health department's notice did not say what kind of milk was involved, whether it came from a cow or a different animal.
People have developed Campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC, infections. So far, seven of the 21 patients have been hospitalized. Six cases were among children under the age of 10.
'It's not unusual in these raw milk cases to have a disproportionately large number of kids sick, because kids, frankly, drink more milk than adults do,' said Bill Marler, an attorney who specializes in representing victims of food poisoning.
'It's generally kids that get hit the worst.'
Raw milk has not been heated to kill harmful bacteria. Like many states, Florida allows farms to sell raw milk as long as it is labeled as pet or animal food. The Florida Department of Health says this labeling limits regulation of sanitary practices on the farms that produce it.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1998 to 2018, there were 202 foodborne illness outbreaks linked to raw milk. These outbreaks sickened nearly 2,700 people and hospitalized more than 220. Official reports of foodborne illness undercount the true burden because many people don't recognize that food made them sick and may not seek out medical attention or get tested to confirm their infection.
The bacteria that cause STEC infections are dangerous because they produce shiga toxin, which blocks protein creation in cells, causing cells to self-destruct. This sets off a potent immune response that's hard to stop.
This response 'triggers a cascade of inflammation targeting the lining of our blood vessels,' said Dr. Norman Beatty, an infectious disease expert at UF Health Shands Children's Hospital.
That can lead to tiny blood clots forming in the blood vessels, which can then travel to and damage the kidneys. This is a condition known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. It's most common in children under age 5, but it can happen at any age. The condition can be life threatening.
Children with HUS are typically hospitalized for supportive care, including dialysis, to take over for their kidneys.
Symptoms of STEC often, but don't always, include diarrhea, which may be bloody. Patients may also experience stomach cramps and vomiting. Fever is uncommon. These symptoms typically appear 3 to 4 days after having eaten or come into contact with tainted food.
Campylobacteriosis causes diarrhea, which can be bloody. It may also be accompanied by abdominal pain and fever. It starts two to five days after exposure to the bacteria.
Rarely, people can developed prolonged complications from food poisoning, including arthritis and Guillain-Barre syndrome where the body's immune system attacks its own nerves causing muscle weakness and paralysis.
In a statement to CNN, the Florida Department of Health said it doesn't comment on active or ongoing epidemiological investigations and did not explain why it had not named the farm.
The state's bulletin on the cases didn't explicitly warn people not to drink raw milk. Instead, it said it was providing information on the outbreak to help residents make informed decisions about their health.
'Residents and visitors should be aware that there are known risks association with human consumption of raw milk,' said Press Secretary Isabel Kilman, in an emailed statement.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he is a fan of raw milk. In May, he recorded an interview with a wellness influencer, which ended with the two doing shooters of raw milk in the White House.
The CDC says pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefit without the risks of raw milk. The agency encourages consumers to choose pasteurized milk and dairy products.