Milk, whether it comes from seemingly healthy cows, goats or any other animal, can cause serious health problems, including death, if it has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. This reminder from the Tennessee Department of Health comes following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement regarding hospitalizations and a death from Listeria infections linked to people drinking raw milk from a Pennsylvania dairy.
Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, suggests those who perceive raw milk as having significant health benefits compared to pasteurized milk should understand the risks.
“Consuming raw milk believing it’s healthier than pasteurized milk is a perilous risk that shakes off the possibility of a range of serious and occasionally fatal illnesses for the individuals and anyone they share it with,” said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “Our best choice for healthy, nutritious milk is the pasteurized kind. Even if one believes there are health benefits, an upside, is it worth taking a chance on the downside risk of a serious illness, especially in a child?”
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