An E. coli outbreak that sickened a child under the age of 5 and a person in their 70s is linked to raw milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery raw milk in Olympia, Washington. The child lives in Island county and the older adult lives in Clallam County. The press release from the Washington State Department of Health states that they got sick “with an E. coli infection after drinking Dungeness Valley Creamery raw milk.”
Dr. Scott Lindquist, Washington state communicable disease epidemiologist, said in a statement, “Raw milk doesn’t go through the pasteurization process where harmful germs and bacteria are destroyed. This puts infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system at a greater risk of illness when they drink it.”
You can reach lawyer Fred Pritzker by calling 1-888-377-8900.
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker, who has represented many clients sickened with E. coli infections from drinking raw milk, said, “There have been several of these serious outbreaks in the past few years. Raw milk is a risky food and pathogens in that product, including E. coli, Campylobacter, and Shigella, have seriously sickened hundreds of people over the years.”
The symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe diarrhea that is usually bloody, and painful stomach and abdominal cramps. One complication arising from this infection is called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure.
This complication occurs when Shiga toxins produced by the E. coli bacteria travel through the bloodstream, destroying red blood cells.Those dead blood cells then travel to the kidneys, where they can clog little tubes in that organ and cause kidney failure and death. The symptoms of HUS include little urine output, lethargy, pale skin, and easy bruising. HUS is more common in young children under the age of 5. We don’t know if the child sickened in this outbreak has developed HUS.
Anyone who drank raw milk, especially from Dungeness Valley Creamery, and has been experiencing the symptoms of an E. coli infection or HUS should be taken to a doctor immediately. The doctor will notify the health department if an E. coli infection is diagnosed.
It’s legal to buy raw milk in Washington state, but only licensed producers and processors can sell it.
