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E. COLI O157, UNPASTEURIZED MILK - USA (WASHINGTON):RECALL
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: The Olympian [edited]
<http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060929/NEWS06/609290356>
Two children have been sickened by _E. coli_ bacteria in a case
associated with unpasteurized milk, the state Health Department said
Thu, 28 Sep 2006.
The milk came from Grace Harbor Farms, a dairy operation in Whatcom
County, the department said in a statement. Testing confirmed both
cases were caused by the same strain of the bacteria, _E. coli_ O157:H7.
The Health Department release said both children drank milk from the
dairy, whose products are available in several counties through
health food stores, PCC Natural Markets and Whole Foods Market. The
children were identified only as a King County boy and a Snohomish
County girl. The boy remains hospitalized in Seattle.
"Consuming raw milk can be risky," especially for children, the
elderly and people with other health problems, said Janet Anderberg,
a specialist with the agency's Food Safety Program.
The state Department of Agriculture is investigating the dairy and
its operations. "Grace Harbor is a licensed raw milk producer and has
been very cooperative during this investigation," said Jerry Buendel,
an Agriculture Department assistant director for food safety and
consumer services.
The milk in question is already off store shelves, the Health
Department said, but it encouraged consumers to return or dispose of
any Grace Harbor raw milk they may have.
The Health Department noted that recommendation does not involve
Grace Harbor pasteurized milk products.
"We're very concerned, very sorry it happened," Tim Lukens, president
and general manager of Grace Harbor Farms in Lynden, said in a
telephone interview. He stressed that the problem involved raw milk,
not the dairy's pasteurized milk. While he said he has not yet seen
"an absolute test on our milk that shows it is the same _E. coli_,"
he said he totally agreed with the recall.
An _E. coli_ O157:H7 outbreak late in 2005 also was linked to raw
milk, which prompted the Legislature to toughen regulation of the industry.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Licensing unpasteurized milk distributors by states will not prevent
unfortunate young children from acquiring potentially lethal
infections. - Mod.LL]
[see also:
E. coli O157, unpasteurized milk - USA (CA)(02): background 20060927.2761
E. coli O157, unpasteurized milk - USA (CA) 20060922.2706
E. coli O157, unpasteurized milk - USA (OR,WA)(04) 20060121.0199
2005
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E. coli O157, unpasteurized milk - USA (OR,WA) 20051216.3622
Shigellosis, unpasteurized milk curds, 2004 - Lithuania (Vilnius) 20051203.3494
E. coli O157: H7, unpasteurized milk - Canada (ONT) 20050411.1047
2003
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Salmonellosis, raw milk - USA (Ohio) (03) 20030204.0308
Salmonellosis, raw milk - USA (Ohio) 20030105.0033
1998
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E. coli, unpasteurized milk - UK (England) (02) 19981031.2126
E. coli, unpasterized milk - UK (England) 19981022.2080
1997
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Brainerd diarrhea - South Africa 19970126.0158]
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