Got Pasteurized Milk? (part 1)

(continued from Go For Raw Milk part 2)

Now that we have look at pasteurized milk from one perspective, we should now hear what the opposing party has to say about it.  “Pasteurization, since its adoption in the early 1900s, has been credited with dramatically reducing illness and death caused by contaminated milk by the US government. Public health officials say that consuming raw diary products is “like playing Russian roulette with your health.  We see a number of cases of food borne illness every year related to the consumption of raw milk.” Raw milk may harbor a host of disease-causing organisms (pathogens), such as the bacteria campylobacter, escherichia, listeria, salmonella, yersinia, and brucella. Common symptoms of foodborne illness from many of these types of bacteria include diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, headache, vomiting, and exhaustion. People with weakened immune systems, such as elderly people, children, and those with certain diseases or conditions, are most at risk for severe infections from pathogens that may be present in raw milk. In pregnant women, Listeria monocytogenes-caused illness can result in miscarriage, fetal death, or illness or death of a newborn infant. And Escherichia coli infection has been linked to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can cause kidney failure and death.

(to be continued…)