Raw Milk Purchasers Warned of Contamination at Pennsylvania Dairy Farm
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Pennsylvania state officials are advising people to discard raw milk from a south-central Pennsylvania dairy that was sold at various locations around the state, including in the Philadelphia area.
State Agriculture Department spokeswoman Samantha Krepps says five people may have gotten sick from bacteria in unpasteurized milk produced by The Family Cow in Chambersburg, Pa. and sold around the state at retail stores and so-called "drop-off" points.
"The Family Cow has drop-off points in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia," Krepps says. "People usually take their cooler and can purchase raw milk in pint size and gallon size, and take it with them," she explains.
In addition to the five illnesses in people who consumed raw milk from The Family Cow, Krepps says tests confirmed the presence of bacteria called Campylobacter in milk samples collected May 17th.
The bacteria affect the digestive tract, and the onset of illness usually occurs within two to five days after being ingested.
The same dairy was the suspected source of contaminated milk that sickened 12 people in January of last year (see related story).
