According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, raw milk and cheeses are simply too risky for infants, children and pregnant women.
Health experts have urged parents not to let their kids drink unpasteurized milk or eat cheese made from it. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 148 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw-milk products were reported to the agency between 1998 and 2011.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raw milk can harbour bacteria that cause tuberculosis and diphtheria, as well as the germs that cause nasty bouts of stomach trouble such as Listeria and E. coli.
Children are more prone to these illnesses than adults, and they tend to get the worst of the complications, such as sudden and sometimes life-threatening kidney failure. Illnesses tied to raw milk also can cause miscarriages in pregnant women.
The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.
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