Health Law

E. coli O157:H7 and Raw Milk AGAIN - Illnesses in Washington State

By David Babcock

The Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) announced today that two recent E. coli O157:H7 infections are connected to the consumption of "raw" unpasteurized milk.  According to WDOH  "The two cases confirmed this month bring the count of infections this year associated with one Bellingham dairy to eight."

Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is also involved in the investigation:

The two new patients say they drank raw milk produced by Jackie's Jersey Milk in Whatcom County. WSDA has conducted additional testing of the firm's product, but has not found E. coli in the milk. WSDA continues to work with the farm to review the dairy's production and producthandling practices.

The firm issued a product recall notice in February after WSDA found E. coli during routine sampling of the farm's raw milk. Soon after the February recall, six patients with E. coli infections reported drinking the dairy's product. People who were sick said they got the milk at retail stores in King, Snohomish, and Skagit counties.

Its getting hard to count all the raw milk outbreaks.  There is another currently being reported in Minnesota that has left a toddler in the hospital.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).