Health experts claim that this is the biggest salmonella outbreak connected to raw milk in the United States in the previous ten years.
According to recently made public state data, raw milk from a California farm has been connected to dozens more cases of salmonella, representing a significantly larger outbreak than previously thought.
Records show that as of February, at least 165 persons have contracted salmonella infections linked to goods from Raw Farm, located in Fresno, California. Health experts claim that this is the biggest salmonella outbreak connected to raw milk in the United States that has been documented in the last ten years.
The extent of the epidemic has been made public as health officials advise people to stay away from unpasteurized milk because of a bird flu virus that is affecting dairy cows in the United States. More than 140 dairy herds in the United States have tested positive for the bird flu, also known as Type A H5N1, and high quantities of the virus have been found in raw milk, according to federal health officials.
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Since October, when authorities in San Diego reported roughly a dozen cases, state and municipal health officials have not kept the public informed about the entire extent of the salmonella outbreak. At that time, milk and heavy cream sold between October 11 and November 6 were the subject of a voluntary recall by Raw Farm.
However, data acquired by Seattle food safety attorney Bill Marler—who shared the information with The Associated Press—show that cases kept piling up. Marler claimed to represent sixteen individuals who were purportedly affected by the pandemic.
According to the records, investigators compared samples from sick individuals with samples from a farm and a retail establishment. When interviewed, almost 60% of those with verified infections said they had eaten Raw Farm products. There were sick individuals from four states, but 162 of them were from California. According to the records, four of the individuals who had salmonella infections also had deadly E. coli bacteria or campylobacter infections.
According to officials, children under the age of five reported over 40% of the illnesses. Twenty patients were admitted to the hospital. There were no recorded deaths.
In collaboration with regional teams and state agriculture officials, California health officials reported on Wednesday that they had carried out a “robust” investigation. They also informed the public about the epidemic through social media posts in October, November, and December, as well as the October recall notice. The official termination date of the outbreak was May 4. It’s unclear if there were any other cases recorded after February.
Raw Farm’s owner, Mark McAfee, said his products contributed to the outbreak. He reported that one cow had been taken out of the herd last fall after testing positive for salmonella. He claimed that in reaction to the epidemic, he implemented new testing procedures.
Because her 6-year-old daughter was admitted to the hospital in October due to a verified virus linked to the outbreak, Jessie McGee, 35, of San Pedro, California, said that she intended to sue Raw Farm. McGee claimed to have started consuming Raw Farm products and giving them to her 2-year-old twins and daughter after reading online about the purported health benefits of raw milk. McGee reported that all three of her children were sick, but her oldest daughter’s symptoms—a high fever and terrible stomach cramps—were the worst.
McGee declared she would never again drink unpasteurized milk after the experience.
“That’s not worth any of the potential benefits you could get from the milk,” she remarked.
SOURCE : NBC NEWS
