As I read the Aug. 14 Monitor, I found myself reflecting on how poorly disease risk is understood by so many. It’s likely that some will be very alarmed that EEE virus has been detected in mosquitoes again this summer. While it is important to remind people that it is possible to get sick with such a deadly illness from a bite, we should all know that such infections are rare even if we get multiple bites in the area where some bugs are carrying this virus.
But few people seem to understand that the same principles apply for illnesses that can be prevented by pasteurization of milk. Many people will drink raw milk products many times before one person gets sick, and it is a rare cause of deadly illness. But it does happen and many times the cause of an illness may not be appreciated, so there remains a lack of awareness that a particular food was the source. Environmental controls reduce the risk of getting bitten by disease-carrying insects, and the procedures involved with producing hard cheese, yogurt and kefir similarly reduce the likelihood that the products will have disease-causing bacteria. Most such microorganisms will be in the fluid parts of the milk so that cream and butter do have lower risks. But, since ice cream is made with milk as well as cream, the risk from the milk will persist in the ice cream. Also, many disease-causing bacteria are not at all affected by freezing so the risk remains, though many might think that step would help reduce the possibility of getting sick.
While it may be true that there is debate about the relative nutritional value of raw versus pasteurized milk, there is no doubt of the increased health risk that one takes drinking raw milk. Milk products are a major part of many modern diets, but they are unnecessary past infancy for humans. Infants should always get human breast milk if possible and are clearly at higher risk from raw animal milk products. Lastly, there is no evidence that calcium balance in the body is improved by dairy products. Have raw milk products for the flavor if you understand the risk, but don’t think it is a healthy thing to do.
Dr. J.J. SMITH
Pembroke