Dozens of salmonella illnesses have been linked to raw milk from a California farm, an outbreak much broader than previously known, according to newly released government records.
As of February, at least 165 people have been sickened by salmonella infections linked to products from Raw’s Fresno, California-based farm, according to records. This is the largest salmonella outbreak linked to raw milk in the United States in the past decade, health officials say.
The revelation of the scale of the outbreak comes as health officials warn the public To avoid unpasteurized milk Because of the bird flu virus spreading among dairy cattle in the United States. The bird flu virus known as type A H5N1 has been detected in more than 140 dairy cattle herds in the United States, and federal health officials say the virus has been detected at high levels in raw milk.
State and local health officials have not updated the public on the full extent of the salmonella outbreak since October, when San Diego officials reported about a dozen cases. At that time, Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall of milk and heavy cream sold between Oct. 11 and Nov. 6.
Still, cases have continued to rise, according to documents obtained by Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety attorney who shared the records with The Associated Press. Marler said he represents 16 clients who allegedly fell ill in the outbreak.
Investigators matched samples from patients with samples from the farm and a retail store, the documents said. More than 60 percent of the people who tested positive and were interviewed reported eating Raw Farm products. People in four states were infected, though the vast majority — 162 — were in California. Four of the people infected with salmonella also had Campylobacter and/or E. coli bacteria, the documents said.
Officials said about 40 percent of the cases were among children under the age of five. Twenty people were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
California health officials said Wednesday they conducted a “robust” investigation in partnership with local teams and state agriculture officials and notified the public of the outbreak through a recall notice in October and social media posts in October, November and December. Officials said the outbreak ended on May 4. It’s not clear if any more cases were reported after February.
Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farms, acknowledged that his products were part of the outbreak. He said one cow was infected with salmonella last fall and was later removed from the herd. He said he put additional testing protocols in place in response to the outbreak.
Jessie McGee, 35, of San Pedro, California, said she plans to sue Raw Farm because her 6-year-old daughter was hospitalized in October with a confirmed case linked to the outbreak. McGee said she read about the supposed health benefits of raw milk online and began drinking Raw Farm products and feeding them to her daughter and 2-year-old twins. All three children and McGee got sick, but her oldest daughter’s symptoms of fever and stomach cramps were the most severe, she said.
After the ordeal, McGee said she would no longer drink unpasteurized milk.
“None of the potential benefits you might get from milk are worth it,” she said.