Newborn died from Listeria likely from raw milk in New Mexico: state officials
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A newborn baby in New Mexico has died from a Listeria infection likely linked to his mother drinking raw milk while pregnant, according to state health officials.
The New Mexico Department of Health issued an alert Tuesday urging people to avoid consuming raw dairy products following the newborn’s death. Health officials believe the “most likely” source of infection is the mother drinking unpasteurized milk during pregnancy.
While investigators said they could not determine the exact cause, they said the “tragic death underscores the serious risks raw dairy products pose to pregnant women, young children, elderly New Mexicans and anyone with compromised immune systems.”
Raw milk’s popularity soared amid the Make America Healthy Again movement led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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A newborn baby in New Mexico died of a Listeria infection likely linked to his mother drinking raw milk during pregnancy, health officials said. (iStock)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a regulation decades ago banning the interstate sale of raw milk, but the beverage is not federally banned and states are allowed to decide whether it is safe for human consumption.
New Mexico Department of Health assistant state epidemiologist Dr. “Pregnant individuals should consume only pasteurized dairy products to help prevent illness and death in newborn babies,” Chad Smelser said in a statement.
Raw milk has not been pasteurized, a process that heats milk to remove disease-causing microbes.
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The death of a newborn baby in New Mexico has been attributed by health officials to a Listeria infection linked to the consumption of raw milk. (iStock)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), consuming foods or beverages made from raw milk can expose people to Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, and Salmonella.
Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States, infecting approximately 1,250 people and causing approximately 172 deaths each year, according to the CDC.
The CDC notes that certain groups of people are at higher risk of serious illness, including children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
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New Mexico health officials are warning against consuming raw dairy products after a newborn baby died from a Listeria infection. (iStock)
“New Mexico’s dairy producers work hard to provide safe, wholesome products, and pasteurization is a vital part of that process,” Jeff M. Witte, New Mexico secretary of agriculture, said in a statement. “Consumers, especially those at high risk, are encouraged to choose pasteurized dairy products to reduce the risk of serious foodborne illness.”
Last August, an E. coli and Campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk produced on a farm in Florida sickened 21 people, including six children.
