Raw milk from Family Cow dairy in Franklin County Pennsylvania sickened 12 with campylobacter, so say State health officials.  All the confirmed cases were people who drank milk purchased directly at The Family Cow, or at drop off locations. The farm has voluntarily suspended raw milk production.

What is campylobacter?

Campylobacteriosis, the illness caused by Campylobacter, is a zoonotic emerging infectious disease characterized by diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, malaise, fever, nausea, and vomiting (Chin, 2000). The severity of the disease is variable, but usually people who get campylobacteriosis recover completely within 10 days. For a small number of people, Campylobacter infection may result in long-term health problems. For example, Campylobacter infection is the most common cause of a rare disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome that occurs several weeks after the acute diarrheal illness, and may result in permanent paralysis (Ang et al, 2001; van Doorn et al, 2008).