Florida officials warn about risks of drinking raw milk after 21 infections

Florida officials are warning the public about the risks of consuming raw milk after over 20 people have gotten sick

Florida officials are warning the public about the risks of consuming raw milk after over 20 people have gotten sick.

Thus far, there have been 21 cases of Campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections linked to raw milk from the same farm, the Florida Department of Health said Monday. Of those, six have been in children under the age of 10.

There have been seven reported hospitalizations and at least two cases reported severe complications, health officials said. The infections occurred in north and central Florida.

"Sanitation practices in this farm are of particular concern due to the number of cases," the department said, without naming the farm in question. "Floridians are encouraged to use this information to make informed decisions about their health and sources of raw milk should they choose to consume it."

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized — meaning it hasn’t gone through a heat-treating process that destroys bacteria.