As Village Milk Timaru in New Zealand begins selling raw milk after being linked to seven Campylobacter illnesses, at least two Timaru pupils have contracted E. coli following school trips, with raw milk being a possible cause.
Who serves raw milk to schoolkids? They don’t have the choice adults do.
South Canterbury medical officer of health Dr Daniel Williams said, “All the children that have been sick have drunk raw milk, but it has not been confirmed what caused the illnesses yet.”
The pupils did not visit the Timaru farm of Stuart and Andrea Weir, which has been at the center of an ongoing Campylobacter investigation.
“We have had a clean run of at least five consecutive days. That gives us enough confidence to resume our operations in Timaru,” chief executive Mark Houston said.
“We don’t want to speculate or point fingers. We understand South Canterbury is a bit of a haven for Campylobacter.”