How harmful is it to give children unpasteurized milk?
Your daughter and son-in-law (and all parents) should think twice before serving unpasteurized (raw) milk to children. Each year there are many outbreaks of food poisoning around the country caused by it. Raw milk has certain dangerous bacteria that can lead to serious illness. This is especially true with infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those who cannot fight infection well. Which symptoms someone gets after drinking raw milk depends on which bacteria are in it. The more common problems are vomiting, diarrhea, belly pain, fever, headache, and body aches. Most healthy people recover from getting sick after drinking raw milk or eating cheese made with it. Others may need to be hospitalized. Some people have died. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against drinking raw milk. Experts from various health groups support the pasteurization of milk and are against selling raw milk. Pasteuriz
