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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Nearly two dozen people in Florida are ill after drinking raw milk from | |
the same farm | |
By Brenda Goodman, CNN | |
Updated: | |
10:52 PM EDT, Thu August 7, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
Nearly two dozen people have developed food poisoning in Florida after | |
consuming tainted raw milk from the same farm, according to the | |
state’s Department of Health. | |
Florida officials didn’t initially name the milk producer about the | |
outbreak, but later issued a linking the infections to Keely Farms | |
Dairy in New Smyrna Beach. | |
The health department also clarified that the first infections were | |
reported in January 2025. They said they were warning about the | |
“continued recent cases” because “sanitation practices in this | |
farm are of particular concern.” The health department’s notice did | |
not initially say if the raw milk involved was from cows, goats or | |
sheep. | |
Keely Farms’ website says they raise Jersey cows. “Our raw milk is | |
milked and then processed in a clean environment with American made, | |
stainless steel, grade A quality equipment,” the website says. “We | |
test EVERY batch of milk in our tank before bottling with state of the | |
art equipment that gives us instant analysis.” the website said. | |
In a on the outbreak, Keely Farms said it had not been contacted by the | |
department of health and weren’t aware they were part of an | |
investigation, “so its press release has blindsided us.” | |
People have developed Campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, | |
or STEC, infections. So far, seven of the 21 patients have been | |
hospitalized. Six cases were among children under the age of 10. In its | |
update, the Department of Health said at least two patients had severe | |
complications from their infections. | |
“It’s not unusual in these raw milk cases to have a | |
disproportionately large number of kids sick, because kids, frankly, | |
drink more milk than adults do,” said Bill Marler, an attorney who | |
specializes in representing victims of food poisoning. | |
“It’s generally kids that get hit the worst.” | |
Raw milk has not been heated to kill harmful bacteria. Like many | |
states, Florida allows farms to sell raw milk as long as it is labeled | |
as pet or animal food. The Florida Department of Health says this | |
labeling limits regulation of sanitary practices on the farms that | |
produce it. | |
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from | |
1998 to 2018, there were 202 foodborne illness outbreaks . These | |
outbreaks sickened nearly 2,700 people and hospitalized more than 220. | |
Official reports of foodborne illness undercount the true burden | |
because many people don’t recognize that food made them sick and may | |
not seek out medical attention or get tested to confirm their | |
infection. | |
The bacteria that cause STEC infections are dangerous because they | |
produce shiga toxin, which blocks protein creation in cells, causing | |
cells to self-destruct. This sets off a potent immune response that’s | |
hard to stop. | |
This response “triggers a cascade of inflammation targeting the | |
lining of our blood vessels,” said Dr. Norman Beatty, an infectious | |
disease expert at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. | |
That can lead to tiny blood clots forming in the blood vessels, which | |
can then travel to and damage the kidneys. This is a condition known as | |
hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. It’s most common in children under | |
age 5, but it can happen at any age. The condition can be life | |
threatening. | |
Children with HUS are typically hospitalized for supportive care, | |
including dialysis, to take over for their kidneys. | |
Symptoms of STEC often, but don’t always, include diarrhea, which may | |
be bloody. Patients may also experience stomach cramps and vomiting. | |
Fever is uncommon. These symptoms typically appear 3 to 4 days after | |
having eaten or come into contact with tainted food. | |
Campylobacteriosis causes diarrhea, which can be bloody. It may also be | |
accompanied by abdominal pain and fever. It starts two to five days | |
after exposure to the bacteria. | |
Rarely, people can developed prolonged complications from food | |
poisoning, including arthritis and Guillain-Barre syndrome where the | |
body’s immune system attacks its own nerves causing muscle weakness | |
and paralysis. | |
In a statement to CNN, the Florida Department of Health said it | |
doesn’t comment on active or ongoing epidemiological investigations | |
and did not explain why it had not named the farm. | |
The state’s bulletin on the cases didn’t explicitly warn people not | |
to drink raw milk. Instead, it said it was on the outbreak to help | |
residents make informed decisions about their health. | |
“Residents and visitors should be aware that there are known risks | |
association with human consumption of raw milk,” said Press Secretary | |
Isabel Kilman, in an emailed statement. | |
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said | |
he is a fan of raw milk. In May, he recorded an interview with a | |
wellness influencer, which ended with the two in the White House. | |
The CDC says pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefit | |
without the risks of raw milk. The agency encourages consumers to milk | |
and dairy products. | |
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