Anybody susceptible to bacteria or infections should be careful about their food consumption. The American Academy of Pediatrics cannot seem to deliver medical advice, though, without having to get nanny state about it. Advising against raw milk consumption by pregnant women and small children isn't enough. They want the government to step in and ban raw milk sales nationally. From a Los Angeles Times report:
The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday warned that pregnant women and children should not drink raw milk and said it supports a nationwide ban on the sale of raw milk because of the danger of bacterial illnesses. The group's statement said it supports federal health authorities "in endorsing the consumption of only pasteurized milk and milk products for pregnant women, infants and children." The academy also "endorses a ban on the sale of raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products throughout the United States, including the sale of certain raw milk cheeses, such as fresh cheese, soft cheeses and soft-ripened cheeses."
How serious is the problem?
The pediatricians estimate that 1 percent to 3 percent of dairy products consumed in the U.S. are not pasteurized. From 1998 to 2009, that led to 1,837 illnesses, two resulting in death.
Two deaths in 11 years. Two. Using this standard, how is it legal to sell nuts for human consumption at all?
Read the whole story here, including defenses of raw milk that point out outlawing raw milk sales entirely turns it into a black market and makes it impossible to put together a system to produce it safely.
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