Billy Goat Dairy Must Halt Raw Milk Products Due to E. coli and Campylobacter
Health officials in Longmont, Colorado, have ordered Billy Goat Dairy to halt distribution of its raw milk products as part of an investigation into an outbreak of Campylobacter and E. coli O157:H7.
Since June 10, 16 people who reported drinking raw milk from the dairy have become ill, including two children who were hospitalized. Boulder County Public Health is reporting that one of the children remains hospitalized.
Young children are especially prone to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by infections of E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne pathogens. More than half of children with HUS develop acute kidney failure and some may require a kidney transplant later in life. Injury from this disease can be even more far-reaching, affecting brain, heart and central nervous system functions.
To consult an E. coli lawyer about your family's legal rights in cases of HUS and foodborne illness, call law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the online contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is a leading practitioner of food poisoning litigation and is actively involved in efforts to prevent outbreaks that cause HUS and other potentially deadly illnesses.
In the United States this year, contaminated raw milk has been associated with at least 10 outbreaks of food poisoning. In the the Billy Goat Dairy raw milk Campylobacter and E. coli outbreak, the dairy operates a goat share program in which individuals buy a share of a goat and in return receive raw, unpasteurized milk.
Lab tests have confirmed the presence of Campylobacter and E. coli 0157 in Billy Goat customers who have reported illness after drinking the product. Both types of bacteria are found in the intestines of animals and can be passed in their feces; contaminating surfaces in milking and bottling areas.
When milk is pasteurized, these pathogens are killed. In raw milk, the organisms survive and can't be detected through eyesight, smell or taste of the product.
