I came across this article Pennsylvania health department says more people may have been sickened by raw milk. The illnesses were caused by a bacteria call Campylobacter, so I thought we'd briefly talk about Campylobacteriosis.

Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial disease most commonly caused by Camylobacter jejuni. It is a major cause of foodborne illness, estimated to affect 2 million people in the US every year.

How do you get it?

It is found in the feces of clinically healthy poultry, cattle, swine as well as dogs and cats. Poultry is a major reservoir and virtually all chicken and turkey contain the organism.

Sources of contaminated food include

Undercooked poultry, pork, shellfish
Water
Raw (unpasteurized) milk and milk products
People can also get Campylobacter by coming into contact with infected animals feces

Clinical signs in humans

High fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, profuse watery diarrhea
Typically lasts 5 to 7 days
Deaths are rare
In rare cases it can lead to a syndrome called Guillain-Barre, which is a nervous system disease that causes progressive muscular weakness of extremities that can lead to paralysis

Prevention

Pasteurization of milk and milk products – there is a reason why we do it!
Proper treatment of drinking water
Proper cooking of foods of animal origin - All poultry should be cooked to reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.
Proper washing of hands while handling raw food and avoid cross contamination
Proper washing of hands after contact with animals and animal feces

CDC Releases Its First iPad "App"

The CDC iPad App serves up important information from CDC's website tailored to meet the needs of iPad users. Download CDC's free app today. I've already downloaded mine!

Daily Digital

Happy Saturday! Love Jude