Raw milk warning for children, pregnant women

American Academy of Pediatrics issues policy statement

If you're a fan of raw milk products the American Academy of Pediatrics has a warning for you. It's advising pregnant women and children not to consume them because of the life-threatening bacterial infections they can transmit.

"What there is is a big possibility of having diseases. Certain diseases like campylobacter, e-coli, different blood diseases, diseases that can cause still births," explained Dr. Emma Raizman, who did not help put the policy statement together, but is a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children's.

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A-A-P policy makers say the sale of raw milk products is still legal in at least 30 states.  Between 1998 and 2009 nearly 2,000 people got sick after consuming raw milk products.  195 people were hospitalized, there were 93 illness outbreaks, and two people died.

The A-A-P echoes the position of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in endorsing only pasteurized milk and milk products for pregnant women, infants, and children.  Raizman agrees.

"There is no scientific research that says there is anything in raw milk that would not be in pasteurized milk and pasteurized milk is so readily available for pretty much anybody in the population," said Raizman.

Complete findings for this study are in the journal Pediatrics.