Outbreaks from Foodborne Pathogens in Raw Milk and Raw Milk Cheeses, United States 1998-present
These tables were compiled by the Real Raw Milk Facts working group through searches of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) online foodborne disease outbreak database (1998-2009). Because the CDC database has about a two-year lag period, preliminary data was gathered from government and dairy industry press releases, reports, and newsletters to document recent outbreaks (2010-present). Information on farm type and size was taken from the implicated dairy’s website, when available.
SUMMARY
- 118 total outbreaks
- 85 fluid milk: 17 cow, 4 goat, 64 unspecified milk type
- 27 cheese: 2 aged, 3 homemade, 17 Mexican-style queso fresco, 1 goat chevre, 1 curds, 3 unspecified
- 6 multiple raw dairy products (fluid milk, cheese, and/or colostrum)
- 2,123 total illnesses, 2 deaths
- 1,490 fluid milk-related illnesses, no deaths: 225 cow, 63 goat, 1,202 unspecified
- 576 cheese-related illnesses: 46 aged, 80 homemade, 324 Mexican-style queso fresco (2 deaths), 5 goat chevre, 63 curds, 58 unspecified cheese type
- 57 multiple raw dairy products-related illnesses (fluid milk, cheese, and/or colostrum)