February 05, 2026
2 min read
Key takeaways:
- A newborn died from Listeria likely linked to raw milk consumed by the mother during pregnancy.
- HHS did not respond to a question about whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. still supports the consumption of raw milk.
An infant in New Mexico died from Listeria that health officials believe was contracted through raw milk.
Investigators could not pinpoint the exact source of the infant’s infection but believe it was from unpasteurized milk consumed by the infant’s mother during pregnancy, according to a press release from the New Mexico Department of Health.
Listeria is one of many pathogens that can be found in raw milk, along with Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Escherichia coli, Brucella and Salmonella, according to the CDC. Last year, a child developed symptoms of H5N1 avian influenza after drinking raw milk.
Listeria can cause severe illness or death. Even if a pregnant woman only has mild symptoms, Listeria can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth or death of the infant, according to the press release.
Another serious pathogen found in raw milk is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7, which is the leading cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome, according to Kirk Smith, DVM, MS, PhD, manager of the Foodborne, Waterborne, Vectorborne and Zoonotic Diseases Section and deputy state epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health.
Pregnant women, children aged younger than 5 years, adults aged older than 65 years and people who are immunocompromised have an increased risk for serious illness from these pathogens, Smith told Healio.
In 2023, a multistate Salmonella outbreak sickened 171 people — including 120 children — and led to 22 hospitalizations among people who had consumed raw milk products.
“Raw or unpasteurized milk, no matter how carefully produced, is inherently unsafe,” Smith said. “The only way to ensure destruction of the harmful bacteria and parasites found in raw milk is through pasteurization, a process that is one of the most important public health advances of the 20th century.”
In October 2024, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voiced his support for raw milk, writing on X that the FDA was suppressing “psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies … and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by pharma.” Healio reached out to HHS to ask if Kennedy still supports raw milk but did not receive a response.
Smith advises against consuming raw milk and encourages health care providers to discuss the risks with their patients, especially those who are at risk for severe disease.
For more information:
Kirk Smith, DVM, MS, PhD, can be reached at pediatrics@healio.com.
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Press Release
Reference:
Disclosures:
Smith reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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