AAP Updates Raw Milk Guidance: Nearly Half of Raw-Dairy Illnesses Strike People Under 20; Academy Urges a Sales Ban
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published an updated policy statement in the November issue of Pediatrics, renewing its long-standing position that the sale and distribution of unpasteurized (raw) milk and raw dairy products, including raw cheese, should be banned, and that pregnant people and children in particular should not consume them. The statement was first published online on October 5; it is service guidance for parents and pediatricians rather than a breaking event.
The statement lists pathogens that raw milk can carry: Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and Listeria monocytogenes, among others. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 can cause hemolytic-uremic syndrome, which occurs mostly in young children. Citing federal data, the statement notes that from 2013 to 2018 the United States recorded 75 raw-milk outbreaks, 675 illnesses, 98 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths; 48 percent of raw-dairy illnesses occurred in people younger than 20, and 14 percent in children younger than 5.
The updated statement adds new material on highly pathogenic avian influenza: during the 2024 dairy cattle outbreak, infectious H5N1 virus was found in roughly a quarter of raw milk samples in affected areas, though to date there have been no confirmed human cases from drinking raw milk. Lead author Adam J. Ratner, an associate professor of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, noted that nearly half of raw-dairy illnesses strike people under 20, many of them young children who cannot make their own food decisions.
Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules, raw milk may not be shipped across state lines, with an exception for raw cheese aged at least 60 days; at least 27 states allow some form of raw milk sales. Co-author Mark R. Corkins said pasteurized products provide the same nutrients without the risk, and the statement notes that claimed health benefits of raw milk are not supported by evidence. Parents can look for the pasteurization label when choosing dairy products for their children.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 奶牛场挤奶场景（资料图），CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons
