*Mexikaresistance.com Note: Many "new world order" fanatics are pushing this whole raw milk thing as some sort of way to "get back at the man." In reality, consuming raw milk is nowhere near as safe as the conspiracy theory nuts are claiming. Please, please inform yourselves before putting something dangerous in your bodies!

In Oregon we are having a small outbreak of infections from consumption of raw milk. Not a surprise, since milk is a wonderful culture media and the udder is just down the gravity well from the cows anus. Raw milk violates the classic dictum “Don’t shit where you eat” although I understand the saying concerned dating in its original conception.

Although the sale of raw milk is illegal in muchof the US, the law can be bypassed by owning the cow rather than buying the milk, a reverse of dating advice. Such is the case in Oregon, where 48 people are time sharing the cows responsible for the current outbreak. There has been the spread of pathogenic E. coli to at least 5 people, mostly children, and has lead to the hospitalization of at least 3 children.

Of course, it is hard to get infected. Humans have lived in Filth and Squalor (like Minneapolis and St. Paul or Buda and Pest) for centuries, drinking and eating contaminated food and enough survived perpetuate the species. Most infections in the past would have been from consuming contaminated food and drink. I have wondered if the reason fevers are often associated with diarrhea and/or vomiting is that it an evolved response for removing infected material as soon as possible.

The CDC has reported multiple outbreaks of infection traced to consuming raw milk, not that anyone is paying any attention. The results were recently summarized:

The study included 121 dairy–related disease outbreaks, which caused 4,413 illnesses, 239 hospitalizations and three deaths. In 60 percent of the outbreaks (73 outbreaks) state health officials determined raw milk products were the cause. Nearly all of the hospitalizations (200 of 239) were in those sickened in the raw milk outbreaks. These dairy-related outbreaks occurred in 30 states, and 75 percent (55 outbreaks) of the raw milk outbreaks occurred in the 21 states where it was legal to sell raw milk products at the time. The study also reported that seven states changed their laws during the study period.

Consumers can’t tell if raw milk is safe to drink by looking at, smelling, or tasting it. Even under ideal conditions of cleanliness, collecting milk introduces some bacteria. Unless the milk is pasteurized, these bacteria can multiply and grow in the milk and cause illness. Pasteurization involves heating milk to kill disease-causing bacteria.

It is rare to get infections from milk: it is estimated that 1% of milk is consumed raw, about 27 billion pounds. Lets see. A pint is a pound the world a round, so that’s 54,000,000,000 cups drunk drank drunken consumed for 4400 illnesses. Not a huge risk, although children were disproportionately affected (60%) and E. coli 0157 mediated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), with kidney failure and occasional deaths are reported.

Not that it makes any difference to those who believe in the unproven benefits of raw milk over safe food:

…people who drink raw milk tend to be fierce advocates. One person, who posted anonymously on Oregonlive.com, said that he or she would not stop drinking milk from Foundation Farm even though it had sickened the commentator and the commentator’s 2-year-old child.

FULL ARTICLE: Science-Based Medicine » Spring Update on Prior Posts.