Campylobacter Blog - Surveillance & analysis on Campylobacter news & outbreaks

December 29, 2005
Boca Raton News
John Johnston

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it," said philosopher George Santayana.

Boca Raton Pediatrician Dr. Adam Cutler agrees, saying that if any local parents choose to go outside of established health protocols "then they're taking risks into their own hands."

Health care officials, and even some local people who were alive in early part of the 20th century will of course remember when it was the norm to obtain, store and then consume whole milk without it ever becoming any warmer than what it was before leaving the cow.

Louis Pasteur discovered in the 1860's that microorganisms in wine, beer and milk caused illness; in turn, he discovered that heating those fluids to about 132 degrees Fahrenheit would kill those organisms.

December 21, 2005
Andy Patrick
AgInfo.netZ

One of the more significant selling points of the segment of agriculture that is dubbed organic, self-sustaining, even alternative, to the consumer is that it claims to offer a more healthy product than goods produced through conventional growing and processing means. But a recent incident in Southwest Washington and one county in Oregon may serve as a warning to consumers that just because a product labels itself as more healthy than its conventional counterpart doesn't necessarily make it gospel truth.

If one were to go to www.localharvest.org, a site that promotes small, sustainable, and organic based agriculture operations across America, and look up "Dee Creek Farm", the following description of the Woodland Washington based operation provided as of January of this year reads like this ... "Our goal is to build an ecologically responsible and self-sustaining farm, using natural methods and humane practices. We are pleased to offer our quality products and services to those who desire an "alternative for a more healthy lifestyle."

Outbreak - Despite bacterial illnesses blamed on the lack of pasteurization, raw milk has an unwavering following

Sunday, December 18, 2005
DON COLBURN
The Oregonian

The arguments get so passionate, it's hard to remember that both sides are talking about the same iconic glass of milk.

Pasteurization of milk -- a quick blast of heat to kill potentially deadly bacteria -- has been one of the no-brainers of public health for nearly a century. Health officials say it makes milk safe and delays spoilage without markedly reducing the drink's nutritional value.

A small but vocal minority of raw milk fans aren't buying.

"I consider raw milk medicine for me and my family," says Juanita Stiles, 66, of Vancouver. "I believe in fresh, raw anything over changed, dead, chemically contaminated and synthetic foods." She also opposes vaccinations against childhood diseases and avoids medical doctors.

By NATHAN CRABBE
Gainesville Sun staff writer
December 03. 2005

LIVE OAK - Aase Duerkes said she couldn't get out of bed some mornings before she started drinking raw milk.

The 59-year-old Leesburg resident credits a diet of unpasteurized milk and other unprocessed foods for curing the fibromyalgia that caused her entire left side to ache. She makes a nearly three-hour trek here to buy such products, undaunted by the state's declaration that raw milk should only be given to pets.

"I feel tons better," she said.

She's part of a growing movement that says pasteurization and other processing saps milk of taste and nutrition. But state regulators say unpasteurized milk threatens the health of consumers and have taken action against Live Oak farmer Dennis Stoltzfoos for touting its health benefits while selling it.

"People can be and have been sickened by raw milk," said Terry McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture of Consumer Services. "It harbors a significant volume of dangerous bacteria."