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Pasteurization, like vaccination, is a public health triumph that still has vocal opponents — in this case, those who trumpet the supposed benefits of raw milk and cheese. Given the reasonably good sanitation in a modern dairy, do unpasteurized dairy products still carry a risk of infection?
Researchers tabulated data from 121 infectious outbreaks caused by contaminated dairy products and reported to the CDC between 1993 and 2006. More than 4000 people were affected. Most outbreaks (46 of the 56 associated with milk and 27 of the 65 associated with cheese) were caused by unpasteurized products. People who became ill were younger in these outbreaks than in those associated with pasteurized products (60% vs. 23% aged <20), and hospitalization …