Dozens sickened with salmonella after drinking raw milk from Fresno farm

FRESNO, Calif. -- Dozens of salmonella illnesses person been linked to earthy beverage from a California farm, a acold wider outbreak than antecedently known, according to recently released authorities records.

As of February, astatine slightest 165 radical were sickened with salmonella infections tied to products from Raw Farm, of Fresno, California, according to the records. It is the largest reported salmonella outbreak linked to earthy beverage successful the U.S. successful the past decade, according to wellness officials.

The disclosure of the outbreak's size comes arsenic wellness officials pass the nationalist to debar unpasteurized beverage owed to a vertebrate flu microorganism circulating successful U.S. dairy cows. The vertebrate flu, known arsenic Type A H5N1, has been detected successful much than 140 U.S. dairy herds, and national wellness officials accidental the microorganism has been detected successful precocious levels successful earthy milk.

State and section wellness officials hadn't updated the nationalist astir the afloat scope of the salmonella outbreak since October, erstwhile officials successful San Diego reported astir a twelve cases. At the time, Raw Farm issued a voluntary callback of beverage and dense pick sold betwixt Oct. 11 and Nov. 6.

Cases continued to mount, however, according to documents obtained by Bill Marler, a Seattle nutrient information lawyer who shared the records with The Associated Press. Marler said helium represents 16 clients allegedly sickened successful the outbreak.

Investigators matched samples from sick radical to samples from the workplace and a retail store, the documents said. More than 60% of the radical with confirmed infections who were interviewed reported consuming Raw Farm products. People from 4 states were infected, though the immense bulk - 162 - were from California. Four of the radical with salmonella were besides infected with campylobacter and/or unsafe E. coli bacteria, the documents said.

Nearly 40% of illnesses were reported successful children younger than 5, officials said. Twenty radical were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

California wellness officials said Wednesday that they had conducted a "robust" probe successful concern with section teams and authorities agriculture officials and notified the nationalist astir the outbreak done the October callback announcement and societal media posts successful October, November and December. The outbreak ended May 4, officials said. It's not wide whether much cases were reported aft February.

Mark McAfee, proprietor of Raw Farm, acknowledged that his products were portion of the outbreak. He said that a azygous cattle was infected with salmonella past autumn and aboriginal removed from the herd. He said helium enactment further investigating protocols successful spot successful effect to the outbreak.

Jessie McGee, 35, of San Pedro, California, said she plans to writer Raw Farm due to the fact that her 6-year-old girl was hospitalized successful October with a confirmed corruption tied to the outbreak. McGee said she had work astir expected wellness benefits of earthy beverage online and started drinking Raw Farm products and feeding them to her girl and her 2-year-old twins. All 3 children and McGee fell ill, she said, but her older daughter's symptoms of precocious fever and tummy cramps were astir severe.

After the ordeal, McGee said she'll nary longer portion unpasteurized milk.

"None of the imaginable benefits you could possibly get from the beverage is worthy immoderate of that," she said.