The prime suspect in the investigation of a cluster of 5 cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Kentucky is raw (unpasteurized) milk. Four of the 5 children developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which causes a severe form of acute kidney failure.
All 5 of the children sickened in the E. coli outbreak drank raw milk before they got sick, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, which is warning consumers about the dangers of consuming unpasteurized milk products.
“The fact that all 5 children drank raw milk is evidence that the milk caused the illnesses,” said Fred Pritzker, a national E. coli lawyer. Fred recently won $4.5 million for a young woman who suffered permanent kidney damage from E. coli-HUS. “Raw milk is a dangerous product, especially for children. Parents are not warned of these dangers.”
Fred spoke about the dangers of raw milk at Harvard Law School. (See video at the end of the page.)
The Kentucky Department for Public Health is using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) testing in its investigation of the outbreak. PFGE tests provide genetic proof of a connection between people sickened and food.
Although these and other tests have not definitively proved raw milk is the source of the outbreak, the health department is stressing the dangers of unpasteurized milk because it is a known source of E. coli bacteria and has been the source of many past outbreaks throughout the United States.
The sale of raw, unpasteurized milk is illegal in Kentucky. All milk sold in Kentucky must be pasteurized (heated to kill pathogens).
Depending on the facts, there may be punitive damages claims against the sellers of the raw milk. When someone breaks the law, it is generally evidence of gross negligence. There have been a few states that have brought criminal charges against sellers of raw milk.