Minnesota health officials tie illnesses to raw milk

State health officials have linked nine cases of illness to raw milk purchased from a farm in Hillman, Minn., north of St. Cloud.

Eight cases of cryptosporidiosis,an infection caused by a parasite, and one case of E. coli and cryptosporidiosis, were traced to raw milk sold by Healthy Harvest Farm and Kitchen in Morrison County, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized.

Health officials urge anyone who may have recently bought milk from the farm to discard the product and not consume it. The milk may have been labeled "natural A2 milk," and consumers may be unaware that it is not pasteurized.

Officials at Healthy Harvest Farm and Kitchen were not immediately available for comment Sunday.

Those who were sickened with gastrointestinal symptoms in early August purchased or consumed raw milk from Healthy Harvest Farm and Kitchen before they got ill, the Health Department said in a news release.

Four of them are younger than 10, and one was hospitalized. One person was infected with Cryptosporidium parvum and E. coli at the same time. Health officials noted that infection by multiple germs is not uncommon in raw milk outbreaks.

Raw or "natural" milk has not been pasteurized, a process that heats milk to a high temperature for a short period of time to kill harmful fecal germs that may contaminate raw milk. Health officials say pasteurization is the only effective way to eliminate germs in raw milk, and does not significantly change its nutritional value.

"Cattle can naturally carry Cryptosporidium and E. coli in their digestive system and shed these germs in their manure even though the animal is not sick," said Carrie Klumb, senior epidemiologist in the Zoonotic Diseases Unit at MDH, in a news release.

"Contamination of the milk with manure can occur during the milking process, and if the milk is not pasteurized, the germs will not be killed," Klumb added. "Consuming any unpasteurized milk, no matter how well the animals are cared for and how clean the operation is, puts people at risk for getting sick."

Symptoms of a Cryptosporidium infection include diarrhea, stomach cramps, loss of appetite, and weight loss about a week after consuming contaminated foods or touching infected animals. The illness usually lasts for two weeks, but symptoms may come and go in cycles.

People suffering from an E. coli infection typically suffer from stomach cramps and diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea. People usually become ill two to five days after consuming contaminated food but may develop severe illness that leads to hospitalization. Children younger than 5, adults over 65, and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk, health officials said.