A raw milk E. coli outbreak in Chattanooga, Tennessee has sickened at least 5 children, according to a notice that the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society has posted on Facebook. The dairy that produced the milk has not been named.
There are five laboratory confirmed Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections reported as of March 3, 2026. The age range is from 1 to 14 years, with a median age of 7. All report drinking raw milk from the same herd share. Four of the five patients have been hospitalized; three of the children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure.
Young children are especially vulnerable to Shiga toxins that attack the kidneys. In this outbreak one child required prolonged medical care due to a kidney injury.
All of the five confirmed cases’ isolates have the identical DNA fingerprint, which indicates they were sickened by the same exposure. Raw milk was the only common exposure identified in the investigation.
A survey was sent by public health officials to herd share participants, and 8 additional probable cases were identified. All of those patients were adults, and none were hospitalized.
Raw milk can contain pathogenic, harmful bacteria, even when produced by conscientious farmers. Cows naturally carry E. coli in their intestines, and they do not get sick because they don’t have the vascular receptors needed for Shiga toxins to attach to and attack their red blood cells. The animals excrete the E. coli in their feces, and since the anus is close to the teats in cows, the milk can be contaminated. It only takes 10 E. coli bacteria to make someone seriously sick.
If you live in the Chattanooga area and have consumed raw milk recently, or gave it to your children, and anyone is experiencing the symptoms of an E. coli infection or HUS, see your doctor. Remember that HUS is a medical emergency.
