Raw milk likely to cause illness

Raw milk and its products are 150 times more likely to cause illness than the pasteurized one, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States. The study, published on Tuesday in the American medical journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, reviewed dairy-related disease outbreaks from 1993 to 2006 all over the United States. During the period the study concerned, the milk consumption in the U.S. was responsible for 121 disease outbreaks, causing 4,413 illnesses, 239 hospitalizations and 3 deaths, according to the study. Among these cases, the raw milk products caused 60 percent of the outbreaks and 84 percent of the hospitalization cases. The study also found the states that permit raw milk sales also have more than twice as many illness outbreaks as states where raw milk is banned. "While some people think that raw milk has more health benefits than pasteurized milk, this study shows that raw milk has great risks, especially for children, who experience more severe illnesses if they get sick," said Barbara Mahon, co-author of the study and a CDC deputy chief.