US News

Bacterial infection linked to raw milk from Pennsylvania farm

Health officials have issued a warning against drinking raw milk from a Pennsylvania farm linked to a bacterial infection that’s sickened a New York resident.

The tainted milk likely came from Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Lancaster County, the New York state Department of Health said this week.

The Empire State resident was recently diagnosed with brucellosis, which can be contracted by consuming unpasteurized milk or dairy products.

That person was infected with RB51, a strain of the Brucella abortus bacteria.

Symptoms of the infection are similar to the flu and include a fever, with high spikes that occur in the afternoon, back pain, body aches, headache, poor appetite and weight loss, night sweats and weakness, according to WebMD.

The infected New Yorker — the third person who’s been infected with RB51 through raw milk consumption in the US in the last two years — is undergoing treatment and doing well, officials said. The two others were diagnosed in 2017 in Texas and New Jersey.

On its website, Miller’s Biodiversity Farm describes itself as a “private food club” and touts its “grass-fed, pastured, old fashioned clean milk.” The Amish farm’s products are only available to members and distributed through various group pickups.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued an order of quarantine to stop the sale of raw dairy products from the farm pending an investigation.

“Raw milk products can contain harmful bacteria which can pose serious health risks,” said New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “Pasteurization standards are in place to protect the public from diseases which are transmitted in raw milk and dairy products. It is critical for New Yorkers to understand the dangers of these products and avoid their consumption.”

The process of pasteurization heats milk to a certain temperature to kill bacteria that can cause diseases, including brucellosis.