Health officials in New Mexico are warning people not to consume raw dairy products after a newborn baby died from a listeria infection.
In a news release on Tuesday, the state’s health department said the most likely source of the infection was unpasteurized milk the infant’s mother drank during pregnancy.
Pasteurization is a process of briefly heating milk to a temperature high enough to kill germs. Consuming pasteurized milk is the safest way to enjoy its nutritional benefits, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
“While investigators cannot pinpoint the exact cause, the tragic death underscores the serious risks raw dairy poses to pregnant women, young children, elderly New Mexicans and anyone with a weakened immune system,” the department wrote.
Listeria can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, or fatal infection in newborns, even if the mother is not severely ill.
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Consuming raw dairy products can also expose people to avian influenza, brucella, tuberculosis, Salmonella, and E. coli, among other pathogens.
Some of these diseases are particularly harmful to children under 5 and adults over 65, the health department said.
According to the CDC, listeria is the third-leading cause of death from foodborne illnesses in the U.S. About 1,250 people in the U.S. are infected with it each year, and about 172 people die from it annually.
New Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, Jeff Witte, told CBS News that the state’s dairy farmers “work hard to provide safe, wholesome products and pasteurization is a vital part of that process.”
“Consumers, particularly those at higher risk, are encouraged to choose pasteurized dairy products to reduce the risk of serious foodborne illness,” he added.
The number of food poisoning incidents in Canada from milk has declined dramatically since pasteurization became mandatory in 1991, said Health Canada.
The agency says consumers can verify that milk is pasteurized by checking with the seller or reading the product label. Avoid buying the product if you’re not sure it’s been pasteurized, it added.
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