Dozens of Salmonella outbreaks have been linked to raw milk from California farms, and the outbreak is much more widespread than previously known, according to newly released state records.
Records show that at least 165 people had salmonella infections linked to products from Lawpharm, a Fresno, California, company, as of February. Health officials say this is the largest number of salmonella infections linked to raw milk reported in the United States in the past decade.
The announcement of the scale of the infection came as health authorities issued a warning to the public. Avoid unpasteurized milk The bird flu virus, known as H5N1 A, has been detected in more than 140 U.S. dairy herds, and federal health officials say high levels of the virus have been found in raw milk.
State and local health officials had not updated the public on the full extent of the Salmonella outbreak since October, when San Diego officials reported about a dozen cases. At the time, Law Firm issued a voluntary recall of milk and cream sold between Oct. 11 and Nov. 6.
But cases continue to grow, according to documents obtained by Seattle food-safety attorney Bill Marler, who provided the records to The Associated Press. Marler said he represents 16 clients who have reportedly become ill in the outbreak.
Investigators matched samples taken from infected people with samples from the farm and retail store, the documents say. More than 60 percent of the infected people interviewed reported consuming Lawpharm products. The cases were in four states, but the majority (162) were from California. The four people with Salmonella also had Campylobacter and the dangerous E. coli, the documents say.
Officials say about 40% of those infected are children under the age of 5. Twenty people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
California health officials said Wednesday they conducted a “thorough” investigation, working with local teams and state agriculture officials, and notified the public about the outbreak through a recall notice in October and social media posts in October, November and December. The outbreak ended on May 4, officials said. It’s unclear whether any new cases have been reported since February.
Law Farms owner Mark McAfee acknowledged that his company’s products were responsible for the outbreak. McAfee said one cow was infected with Salmonella last fall and was subsequently removed from the herd. McAfee said the company has implemented additional testing procedures in response to the outbreak.
Jesse McGee, 35, of San Pedro, California, said he plans to sue Law Farm after his 6-year-old daughter was diagnosed with the virus and hospitalized in October. McGee said he read online about the health benefits of raw milk and began drinking Law Farm’s products and giving them to his daughter and 2-year-old twins. McGee said all three of his children and himself got sick, but his oldest daughter was the worst, with high fevers and stomach pains.
After the ordeal, Maggie said she will never drink unpasteurized milk again.
“Any profits you might get from milk are just not worth it,” she said.
