Raw Milk Sickens 17 with E. Coli

(Woodland, Washington) Public health officials announced an outbreak of E. coli cases in southern Washington traced to a dairy farm selling raw milk.

From Columbian.com:

Interviews with consumers of raw milk from Dee Creek Farm have turned up five more people sickened with E. coli, public health officials said Saturday.

The new cases bring the total sickened to 17 people, including two children still in critical condition. None of the cases announced Saturday discovered in three children and two adults required hospitalization, officials said.

A Cowlitz County judge had ordered farmers Anita and Michael Puckett to turn over the names of 45 families who obtained raw, or unpasteurized, milk from the Woodland farm.

Disturbingly, the consumption of raw milk has also become a fad in Arizona even though people there have become sickened by salmonella contamination.

From UPI.com:

Raw milk smuggled in from California has become a black market product in Arizona since the only dairy producing it in-state was shut down.

The Arizona Republic reports buyers have organized groups and milk is being shipped into the state by Federal Express.

"It's like heroin right now," said Tony Spaltro, a manager at Gentle Strength Co-Op in Tempe.

The profile of the typical raw milk enthusiast hasn't been reported but I suspect it's probably the vegetarian, organic food only, environmentalist, 60s hippie-type individual, likely on welfare.