5 Kids Likely Sickened By Raw Milk In Twin Cities Metro: MDH

TWIN CITIES, MN — At least five kids in the Twin Cities metro were infected by Salmonella Typhimurium likely after drinking raw, unpasteurized milk, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Health officials are now urging Minnesotans not to consume raw milk.

The cluster of cases involves children ages 3 months to 10 years. They became ill between the end of June and early July, and one child was hospitalized, according to investigators.

Families of two children reported that they consumed unpasteurized milk, but "information could not be obtained from the remaining families," officials said.

However, the bacteria from all five cases were found to be identical through laboratory analysis, indicating that the infections came from the same source, according to the MDH.

Unpasteurized milk is not heated to a temperature high enough to kill harmful germs from fecal contamination sometimes found in the milk, officials noted. Germs in raw milk can include Campylobacter, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and Salmonella.

Consumers can receive multiple infections from drinking unpasteurized milk. One child in the Twin Cities cluster was infected with two types of pathogenic E. coli Salmonella, according to investigators.

"Even healthy animals can carry these germs and have them in their milk," said Maria Bye, senior epidemiologist in the Zoonotic Diseases Unit at MDH, in a news release.

"Consuming any unpasteurized milk is risky, no matter how clean the operation from which it is purchased."

Salmonella Typhimurium symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. A person can start feeling sick between six hours and several days after consuming contaminated foods or touching an infected animal.

The illness can often last for about a week, but children under age 5, adults over age 65, and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk for severe illness and hospitalization.

Health officials are still working to identify the source of the unpasteurized milk that caused the Salmonella infections and hope to prevent more illnesses.

"If you have raw or unpasteurized milk in your refrigerator, please do not consume it," Bye said, "If you have developed gastrointestinal illness after consuming unpasteurized milk, contact your health care provider."

Learn more about the risks of drinking unpasteurized milk on the Food and Drug Administration website.