People in Four States May Be Drinking Contaminated Raw Milk
For the second time in three months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people who might have consumed contaminated raw milk and milk products to visit their doctor. People who bought and drank raw milk from a company called Udder Milk may have been infected with a rare but potentially serious germ called Brucella abortus RB51. While Brucella can cause anyone to become sick, women may suffer miscarriage and other pregnancy complications making it critical for pregnant women who may have consumed the raw milk from Udder Milk to seek medical care immediately.
In late September, a New Jersey woman became ill after drinking raw milk from the company. CDC confirmed her illness was Brucella RB51 in late October.
In a public be damned move, Udder Milk hasn’t provided information about the farms that supply their milk, making it impossible to trace the source of the woman’s infection.
Until more information is available about which farms may be supplying contaminated milk or until officials can test milk from the farms, CDC said it recommends that anyone who drank raw milk or consumed raw milk products from Udder Milk in the past six months visit their doctor for antibiotics to prevent illness. Information suggests that the company delivers milk in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
All people who consumed raw milk and raw milk products from Udder Milk should seek medical care and start antibiotics to prevent future chronic disease from RB51, CDC said. The Brucella RB51 strain is resistant to some antibiotics that would normally be used to prevent or treat brucellosis. Therefore, people who consumed raw milk from Udder Milk should tell their doctor that they may have been exposed to this particular Brucella strain. Doctors can learn more about testing patients for RB51 and which antibiotics to prevent or cure infection at https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/clinicians/rb51-raw-milk.html.
Kane’s Komment: FDA can’t say it, but we can: Don’t buy Udder Milk. Period. A company that refuses to help public health authorities track down the source of contamination is a company that doesn’t deserve the trust of the American people.