Five indoor-only, domestic cats in one household in Los Angeles (LA) County died after consuming recalled raw milk. Four of these cats were tested and confirmed to be infected with H5 Bird Flu. This group includes the two cats described in an earlier alert issued 12/12/2024.

There are additional recalls on raw dairy products. The current recalls include:

All sizes of raw milk and cream produced by Raw Farm, LLC in California between November 9-27, 2024 (lot numbers 20241109 through 20241127).

All “Valley Milk Simply Bottle Raw Cow Milk” and “DESI Milk Raw Cow Milk” distributed in quart (32oz), half gallon (64 oz), and one gallon (128 oz) plastic jugs with a code date marked on the container of “DEC 23 2024 through DEC 30 2024”, produced by Valley Milk Simply Bottled of Stanislaus County.

On 11/22/24, eight cats in one household were offered raw milk produced by Raw Farm, LLC. The raw milk was from a lot that was not included in the recalls issued on 11/24/24 and 11/27/24 but was included in the third recall issued on 12/3/24. Between November 20 and December 7, 2024, seven of the cats became ill. 

Between December 2-10, five died or were euthanized. The other two cats are under quarantine and improving. This group includes the two cats described in an earlier alert issued on 12/12/2024. 

Clinical signs were variable but progressive. They included fever, lethargy, dehydration, anorexia, icterus, respiratory distress, and neurologic signs (primarily seizures, although one had nystagmus). One cat had evidence of lung lobe consolidation.

Of the five deceased cats that drank the recalled raw milk, four were tested for influenza A by PCR testing of samples from multiple body sites (oropharyngeal, rectal, and/or brain). All samples collected were confirmed positive for Influenza A and further subtyped as H5N1 also known as H5 Bird Flu, by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL). These are the first confirmed cases of H5 bird flu infections in cats in Los Angeles County. They were sequenced by NVSL with sequences identical to the raw milk they ingested which was recalled from Raw Farms. 

H5 bird flu is currently circulating in wild birds locally. There has been a total of 39 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu in wild birds detected in LA County since September 2022. Of these, six H5 bird flu cases were confirmed in wild birds in LA County in 2024. While primarily affecting poultry, H5 bird flu infections in cattle, cats, and other mammals highlight the potential for the virus to mutate and become more transmissible among mammals, including humans.

There is a broad, voluntary recall of all Raw Farm, LLC raw milk and cream products due to possible H5 bird flu contamination that went into effect 12/3/24. The recall includes all sizes of Raw Farm milk and cream, produced between November 9 and November 27, 2024. The affected lot numbers are 20241109 through 20241127. While this voluntary recall only applies to raw whole milk and cream, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) urges consumers to avoid consuming any Raw Farm products for human consumption including raw milk, cream, cheese, and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food topper and pet food kefir marketed to pet owners.

On December 14, another raw milk recall was issued by the California Department of Agriculture (CDFA). This recall applies to raw milk produced by Valley Milk Simply Bottled of Stanislaus County. This applies to all “Valley Milk Simply Bottle Raw Cow Milk” and “DESI Milk Raw Cow Milk” distributed in quart (32oz), half gallon (64 oz), and one gallon (128 oz) plastic judges with a code date marked on the container of DEC 23 2024 through DEC 30 2024. Currently no illness in pets or people have been reported in Los Angeles County associated with this milk. 

The CDC recommends against consuming raw milk contaminated with live H5 bird flu virus to develop antibodies against the H5 bird flu virus to protect against future disease. Freezing does not kill viruses and does not kill most bacteria. Frozen raw dairy products should be considered to carry the same level of risk for infectious disease exposure as refrigerated raw dairy products.

Illnesses in humans too.

On October 18, 2023, an investigation of an outbreak associated with Raw Farm, LLC products was initiated. At least eight Salmonella cases who had reported consuming raw milk from Raw Farm, LLC of Fresno County, California, were discovered and reported to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Another nine cases from another county were discovered to be infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. Local health departments, CDPH, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) investigated this outbreak. This outbreak was assigned the CDC ID 2310MLJPX-2.

For this investigation, a confirmed case was defined as a laboratory confirmed infection of S. Typhimurium, within 2 alleles of code SALM1.0 – 6745.4.2.1x, that was highly related (within 4 SNPs) based on whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to the outbreak strain in a person with symptom onset since September 15, 2023. A probable case was defined as a laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infection, in a person who reported consumption of Raw Farm raw milk and had symptom onset from September 15, 2023 through May 4, 2024.

As of October 15, 2024, 171 cases (159 confirmed and 12 probable) have been reported from five states: CA (167), NM (1), TX (1), WA (1), and PA (1). In California the following counties reported cases: Los Angeles (27), San Diego (25), Orange (19), Placer (7),Riverside (7), Sacramento (7), Alameda (6), Ventura (6), Contra Costa (5), Kern (5), San Bernardino (5), Santa Clara (5), Solano (5), Santa Barbara (4), Stanislaus (4), Long Beach (4), Fresno (3), Kings (2), Madera (2), Nevada (2), San Joaquin (2), and Yolo (2).

Illness onsets ranged from September 21 to March 12, 2024. Symptoms included fever, bloody or watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and headache. The age range of cases was <1 to 87 years (median 7). Sixty-five percent of cases were male. Twenty cases (14%) were known to require hospitalization; no deaths were reported. Four cases were discovered to have co-infections with S. Typhimurium and Campylobacter and/or STEC. Most illnesses were among children.

All cases who met the confirmed case definition, regardless of raw milk exposure, and all cases who met the probable case definition were also interviewed with a raw dairy supplemental questionnaire to ascertain the brand and purchase location of their exposure and whether they had any leftover product, along with any other details of raw dairy exposures prior to illness onset. Seventy-two percent (91/127) of cases reported consuming raw milk in the initial and/or supplemental questionnaire. Eighty-five percent (46/54) of California cases, in interviews with the supplemental questionnaire, reported consuming raw milk. Of those who consumed raw milk and recalled brand information, 93% (41/44) consumed Raw Farm brand raw milk. 

The proportion of confirmed patients who reported raw milk consumption during the week prior to illness was significantly higher (binomial p-value <0.001) than expected by chance alone, compared to the estimated 1.9% background rate of raw milk consumption during the prior week based on 2018 and 2019 FoodNet CA population survey estimates. All five patients who reported consuming or likely consumed other types of raw dairy products (including various cheeses, cream, and butter) also confirmed drinking Raw Farm raw milk.

Based on epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback investigations conducted by local and state officials that indicated that raw milk consumed by cases was produced at Raw Farm, Raw Farm, LLC recalled their raw milk and raw heavy cream on October 24, 2023, including products with best by dates from October 11, 2023 to November 6, 2023. 

Products were sold at the following locations: Bristol Farm, Clark’s Nutrition, Elliott’s Natural Foods, Erewhon Market, Frazier Farms Market, Jimbo’s, Lassen’s Natural Foods, Lazy Acres, Lunardi’s, Mother’s Market, Nugget Market, and Sprouts Farmers Market locations. Specifically, the recalled products included the Raw Whole Milk in a gallon container (128 ounce) with item number 1000 and the barcode 835204006004, the Raw Whole Milk in half gallon (64 ounce) container with item number 1005 and the barcode 835204000095, the Raw Whole Milk in quart containers (32 ounce) with item number 1010 and the barcode 835204000019, and Raw Heavy Cream in 16-ounce containers with item number 3050 and the barcode 835204000132.

Link to Report: https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2024/12/CA-EPI-24-01-Raw-Milk-S.-Typhimurium-Outbreak-08052024_FINAL_cleared.pdf

Previous Raw Farm, LLCRecalls and Outbreaks

Since September 2006, Raw Farm, LLC, formerly known as Organic Pastures Dairy Company (“OPDC”), has issued multiple recalls of unpasteurized milk products, and been linked to multiple outbreaks as outlined below. 

The following table shows Raw Farm’s previous history with contaminated products: 

DateProductContaminantRecall/Illnesses
September 2006Raw MilkE. coli O157:H7Six ill, two severely ill with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome 
September 2007Raw CreamListeria monocytogenesRecall Issued
December 2007Raw MilkCampylobacterEight Illnesses 
September 2008Raw CreamCampylobacterRecall Issued
November 2011Raw MilkE. coli O157:H7Five ill, three severely ill with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
May 2012Raw Milk/CreamCampylobacter10 Illnesses 
October 2015Raw MilkCampylobacterRecall Issued
January 2016Raw MilkE. coli O157:H7Nine ill, two severely ill with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
May 2023Raw MilkCampylobacterRecall Issued
August 2023Unpasteurized Cheese SalmonellaRecall Issued