Raw milk woes

Posted on April 13, 2012 in Our Blog,Patient Care,Public Safety

Do you ever ask yourself why milk is pasteurized? It isn’t some government plot; it’s because unpasteurized milk can contain E. coli 0157 bacteria. Cows naturally carry this bacteria in their intestinal tracts. Unfortunately, it can be fatal to humans.

There are people who choose to drink raw milk, though, despite the possible dangers. The sale of raw milk is prohibited in twenty states. In Oregon, retail outlets can’t sell it, but farms can sell raw milk directly to consumers if they follow some guidelines, such as having no more than two cows that produce milk.

The family-run Foundation Farm in Wilsonville, OR, is one such farm. They have a CSA-type of program in which families can purchase shares of a cow and thus receive deliveries of raw milk. Unfortunately, some of this milk appears to have been infected by E. coli 0157, and so far three children have been hospitalized as a result. The farm has stopped production and instructed its members not to drink any remaining milk.

For more on this story, see this article.