Read your December 23 Hoard's Dairyman Intel item "Doctors say no to raw milk when pregnant." The article indicates that in 11 years (1998-2009), a total of two (2) persons died from illnesses related to raw milk.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that each year 3,000 people die of illness related to foodborne pathogens. (http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/2011-foodborne-estimates.html) In the 11 years covered by the period defined in your article when two people died from raw milk, 32,998 other persons died from illness caused by foodborne pathogens unrelated to raw milk. Before you tout the dangers of raw milk, perhaps you ought to see where the real dangers lurk.
- Melissa R. O'Rourke, Iowa
