New Mexico health officials are warning the public about the risks from raw milk after a newborn died from a listeria infection likely linked to the mother's consumption while pregnant. The state's Department of Health said it cannot definitively trace the infection to a specific source but believes the mother drank raw milk during pregnancy, per NBC News. The agency said the infant's death underlines the serious risks raw dairy presents for pregnant people, young children, older adults, and anyone with weakened immune systems. Deputy state epidemiologist Dr. Chad Smelser urged pregnant women to stick to pasteurized milk to help prevent serious illness and newborn deaths.
Listeria, which can be present in raw milk, is associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and life-threatening infections in infants and vulnerable adults. Nearly 200 people in the US die from it each year, per CBS News. The department also listed other pathogens that can be carried in unpasteurized milk, including bird flu, brucella, tuberculosis, salmonella, campylobacter, cryptosporidium, and E. coli. Federal authorities have long discouraged drinking raw milk; selling it across state lines has been prohibited since 1987, even as interest in raw dairy has grown and some advocates continue to press for looser rules. The CEO of Raw Farm, America's biggest raw milk company, says Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once expressed interest in loosening restrictions but now won't return calls, per Mother Jones.
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