Pennsylvania Raw Milk Campylobacter Case Coincides with Raw Milk Ignorance in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin state Senate has made the terrible mistake of approving legislation that will legalize sales of unpasteurized milk to the public. The measure passed 25-8 and will go to the Assembly next week for a floor vote.
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In approving the bill, the Senate rejected the medical advice of The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, state and county health officials in Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.
It is a scientific fact that raw milk is unsafe for human consumption because it can contain microscopic pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. Pasteurization kills these organisms without affecting the nutritional qualities of milk.
Just this week in Pennsylvania, a 67-year-old man is paralyzed and on life support after suffering complications from an infection of Campylobacter from raw milk. The family of the man, James Orchard, has retained national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent them. Pritzker Olsen founder and president Fred Pritzker is preparing a lawsuit against the milk maker, Dean Farms doing business as Pasture Maid, LLC, a creamery located in New Castle, PA.
Mr. Orchard has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. One of the most common antecedent events to those who suffer from GBS is prior infection with Campylobacter.
On April 5, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture suspended the permit that allows Dean Farms to sell unpasteurized milk. The action came after testing found Campylobacter in its raw milk samples.
In Wisconsin, raw milk supporters have successfully used the argument of free choice, ignoring dangers that can't be protected against. For instance, the CDC has said that some cows excrete Campylobacter and other dangerous bacteria from their udders. Milk can also be contaminated by the farm environment, where bacteria from manure can spread and cause disease.
Wisconsin Senator Judy Robson, a retired nurse, was one of the few voices of reason: "We don't appreciate public health until we don't have it,'' she said.
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has said he would sign a raw milk bill into law under the right circumstances, setting a horrible example for the rest of the country.
