Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Linked to Commercially Distributed Raw Milk

Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Linked to Commercially Distributed Raw Milk — California and Four Other States, September 2023–March 2024 | MMWR

This report describes a Salmonella outbreak linked to ...

cdc.gov

During October 2023–March 2024, health officials traced 171 Salmonella Typhimurium infections—mostly in kids under 18—to brand A raw milk from a California dairy farm. Whole-genome sequencing matched the outbreak strain in both fresh milk and 60-day-aged raw cheese. Nearly all patients who could recall what they drank had sipped that unpasteurized stuff, and 14% ended up hospitalized.

In response, the farm voluntarily halted production, recalled milk and cream, impounded cheese, and worked with state inspectors to root out contamination (even removing one Salmonella-positive cow). The episode underscores how easily raw dairy can spark big, multi-state outbreaks, especially among youngsters, and why public health advisories continue to urge pasteurization.