Raw Milk? You're kidding, right?

Drinking "raw" or unpasteurized milk has become popular in some groups whose members believe there are significant health benefits in raw milk which are destroyed in the pasteurization process.  Actually you and your children are far more likely to become seriously ill from germs in raw milk than you are to improve your health.

Pasteurization of milk is a fairly simple process that involves heating milk to about 160 degrees for 20 seconds.  This important step in processing milk  kills serious, disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella, E.coli, and Campylobacter jejuni.  Yes, E.coli is the same bacteria causing serious illness and death in Europe right now from contaminated bean sprouts.

Before milk was routinely pasteurized (in the 1920s) it caused many illnesses in our population, such as tuberculosis, typhoid fever, streptococcal infections, diphtheria, and more.  In the early 1900s some smart mothers realized the dangers of raw milk and pasteurized it themselves by boiling it before feeding it to their children!

As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras in the 1980s I noticed the villagers where I lived always boiled their milk before consuming it.  We ate our cornflakes with hot milk!  Although they lived in mud huts, with dirt floors, thatched roofs, and chickens and pigs running in and out all day long, these people would not touch milk that had not been heated properly.  At the time I didn't understand the significance of this practice.  Now I do.

Why would anyone want to drink milk that has potentially been contaminated with serious germs like E.coli?  Good question!  Those who do consume raw milk believe it comes from healthy animals, and is handled safely enough that it won't contain disease-causing bacteria.  This is actually very difficult to guarantee.  Even if the animal is healthy, its fecal matter can get into milk.  This can be because it is on the udders, in the barn, on the hands of the farmers, or on insects or rodents living where the animals live.  The germs are microscopic.  Testing the milk is not comprehensive enough to ensure its safety.

Some people believe there are healthy enzymes and vitamins in the raw milk that are destroyed when the milk is heated.  While it is true that heating does inactivate some enzymes and reduce vitamin C content, these are not important nutrients for humans to obtain from cows or animals other than humans.  Raw milk has not been shown to reduce diabetes, asthma, or allergies.  Nor does it improve your immune system.  Raw human milk given directly from a mother to her child is completely different.  We are not cows or goats.

Some people may believe that raw milk has helped their own individual health, but this is what is called testimonial or anecdotal evidence.  It is a claim made by a few, and it is not supported by scientific, or research based evidence.

The images that come to my mind when I think about drinking raw milk are the following:  eating strawberries without washing them, using the toilet or changing the kitty litter box and then preparing a meal for your family without washing your hands, simply cutting up the lettuce for a salad without thoroughly rinsing it first, changing a poopy diaper and then sitting down to lunch, eating bean sprouts in Germany... It nauseates me, repulses me, and makes me shudder to think about taking a sip of milk that has not been pasteurized. 

The diseases you can catch from raw milk are serious.  E.coli can kill.  Certain types of E.coli can cause kidney failure, damage to the red blood cells, and stroke.  In my pediatric training I cared for a preschool aged child who died of a stroke that occurred from complications of an E.coli infection.  It was devastating.  Since I have been in private practice I have had entire families become seriously ill from Campylobacter jejuni that originated in raw milk. 

I don't think drinking raw milk is a smart decision for an adult, but it is certainly their choice to consume it.  When it comes to our precious children I don't think we should putting them at risk by taking our health practices back a CENTURY and giving them raw milk.  I don't think my pediatric practice would be very successful if I practiced 19th century medicine, so I have to recommend against the antiquated and dangerous fad of consuming raw milk.

Yuck.

Here are some links to give you more details.  One link will take you to some testimonials that share experiences some people have had getting sick from raw milk, rather than typical anecdotes that tout the benefits of raw milk.

http://www.cdc.gov/features/rawmilk/
http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html
http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-videos.html

Norovirus in Kalamazoo

Our office received a "Health Advisory" from the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services this week. It announces laboratory-confirmed cases of Norovirus in Kalamazoo County. Norovirus is the new, official name for viruses previously known as Norwalk viruses. Noroviruses have been responsible for relatively large outbreaks of vomiting and diarrheal illnesses on cruise ships, in schools, and in day care centers.

My factual information in this blog comes directly from that Health Advisory, and a fact sheet about Norovirus from the Michigan Department of Community Health, Communicable Disease Division, 201 Townsend Street, CVB-5th floor, Lansing, Michigan. The advice on oral rehydration is the general advice I and my colleagues at Trestlewood Pediatrics give to parents whose children are suffering from a vomiting and diarrheal illness.

Noroviruses are contagious viruses that cause stomach and intestinal illnesses in people. These kinds of illnesses are often incorrectly referred to as "stomach flu" or "flu". Actually, the correct term is gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis has no relation to influenza (correctly termed "flu"), which is primarily a respiratory illness.

The most common symptoms of a norovirus infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. They occur 10 to 48 hours after exposure to the germ. Other symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. The symptoms last 1 to 2 days, and can be very severe for some people. Dehydration is the most worrisome problem that can result from a Norovirus infection. This would occur if the sick person cannot drink enough fluids to replace what they are losing in vomit and diarrhea.

Treating Norovirus infections means replacing fluids and waiting for the symptoms to subside. There are no antibiotics or vaccines for Norovirus. Fluid loss should be replaced with clear liquids. The best fluids, especially for children five and under, are oral rehydration solutions such as Pedialyte. Sports drinks are not a good substitute because they have too much sugar. Diluted juice or water could also be given, but preferably to an older child. Infrequently a child may need to see a doctor to determine if intravenous fluids are needed.

When orally rehydrating an infant or young child you may need to give them the oral rehydration solution in a syringe. Wait one hour after the last vomiting episode, and then syringe feed Pedialyte 1 to 2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) at a time every ten minutes for two hours. Set a timer on your stove so you can stay on track.

If vomiting starts over, wait an hour and start the oral rehydration process again. If your child tolerates 5 to 10ml every ten minutes for two hours, you can then let them have more at a time (maybe 20-30ml every 15 minutes). Continue with only clear liquids for at least half the day. If everything is going well after that you could try a little milk, or one small cracker or piece of cereal. Start over if they vomit again. Don't let your pathetic little sick child sweet talk you into giving them food or milk until you know they are tolerating the clear liquids quite well. If you introduce food or milk too soon you will set everything back by hours because it will almost certainly induce more vomiting. Crackers do NOT settle the stomach of a vomiting child. First go slowly with oral rehydration solutions such as Pedialyte. Don't let your child refuse the Pedialyte, give it to them in a syringe, as if it were medicine.

The nice thing about Pedialyte is that it can be partly absorbed from the stomach (instead of having to travel all the way to the intestine first)--so even if some of it gets vomited back up, some will still be absorbed. This is not true of sports drinks, water, or juice.

The most interesting thing about Noroviruses is how very contagious they are. They are quickly spread from person to person, by ingesting contaminated food and drink prepared by infected food preparers, by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the mouth, or having direct contact with an infected person and then touching the mouth before washing hands. Stool and vomit from an infected person is definitely contaminated with norovirus. In some cases undercooked oysters or drinking water contaminated with sewage have been the cause of an outbreak.

If you have norovirus, you are contagious from the time you start feeling ill or nauseated until at least 3 days after recovery. The contagious period after recovery can last as long as two weeks for some people.

Good hand washing with SOAP AND WATER is important to prevent further spread of the virus. Infected people should not prepare food, work in nursing homes, or take care of patients while they have symptoms, and for three days after the symptoms are gone. Children may return to school and daycare when the diarrhea and vomiting is gone. Then hand washing with soap and warm water must be strictly enforced. Alcohol based hand sanitizers do NOT work against norovirus. Soap and warm water is the best way to eliminate the germ from your hands. A household chlorine bleach-based cleaner should be used to disinfect contaminated surfaces.

So, wash your hands with soap and water, disinfect your surfaces with some kind of bleach solution, don't go to work or school if you become nauseated, vomit, and/or have diarrhea, and don't return to work for three days after you are better if you have a job preparing food or taking care of patients. Don't return to school until vomiting and diarrhea have stopped, and then use careful handwashing methods with soap and water. Have some Pedialyte on hand, or know where you can get it. Stock up on medicine syringes in case you must force feed the Pedialyte. And wash your hands again.

Please call your own personal pediatrician for more specific advice for your child. My blog is meant to provide you with general information, and is not a good substitute for the personal attention your own doctor can provide.

The Michigan Department of Community Health norovirus cleaning and disinfection guidelines, as well as other information, are available at the following link. Once at the main web site, click on the icon for Health and Services, then type Norovirus into the search box.

www.michigan.gov