Cryptosporidium raw milk outbreaks aren’t common. The current outbreak, linked to raw goat’s milk produced by Treasured Sunrise Farms in Parma, Idaho, is the first time a raw goat milk outbreak has been reported in 16 years of records at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The only other Cryptosporidium raw milk outbreak was linked to raw cow milk in Minnesota in 2010.
Idaho agriculture officials put a temporary hold on sales of Treasured Sunrise goat milk after two illnesses were reported and a sample of the milk tested positive for the parasite. The contaminated milk was sold on or after August 24 in stores in Boise, Caldwell, Ketchum, and Star. Consumers who have purchased it should not drink it.
In 2010, an outbreak linked to raw cow’s milk on the Hartmann dairy farm in Sibley County, MN sickened seven people. That milk was contaminated with a bacteria, Campylobacter, and a parasite, Cryptosporidium. Three of the illnesses were attributed the Campylobacter and four were from Cryptosporidium.
Symptoms of an infection, which usually develop between two and 10 days of exposure, include: watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, vomiting and weight loss. Illness typically lasts one to two weeks, but can linger for up to a month. Because Cryptosporidium infections can’t effectively be treated with drugs, they can be life threatening for people with weakened immune systems. If you drank the ilk and are experiencing symptoms, see a doctor.
