Doyle’s Veto Protects Against E. coli in Milk
Saying his veto was necessary to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin citizens, Governor Jim Doyle has rejected a bill passed by the Legislature that would have allowed the public sale of raw milk on farms in America’s Dairyland.
Doyle acknowledged that the legalization of raw milk is an increasingly contentious issue around the country, not just in Wisconsin. For that reason his veto is a powerful statement that has meaning far beyond the state’s borders. Rep. Chris Danou, D-Trempealeau, immediately talked about trying for an override but the odds of that happening are extremely long.
Doyle was eloquent in a statement explaining his veto: “I cannot ignore potential harmful health effects of consuming unpasteurized milk that have been raised by many groups… I recognize that there are strong feelings on both sides of this matter, but I must side with public health and the safety of the dairy industry.”
The governor’s action will undoubtedly prevent outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly pathogen that haunts dairy barns and inevitably contaminates milk supplies. E. coli O157:H7 is commonly found in cow feces, which can contaminate milking surfaces in microscopic fashion. In addition, some cows also pass the bacteria through their udders.
As the conventional dairy industry learned long ago, pasteurization is needed to wipe out the bacteria and make milk wholesome. If the kill step is avoided, consumers are playing roulette with each glass of raw milk they consume. The Wisconsin raw milk bill sought to legalize the sale of raw milk on regulated dairy farms and under frequest testing for pathogens.
Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria are other pathogens that crop up in raw milk, causing outbreaks. E. coli O157:H7 is dreaded because infections develop into life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in five to 15 percent of cases.
Young children are the most susceptible, but HUS syndrome can happen in a person of any age, healthy or not. Symptoms of E.coli O157:H7 infection include abdominal cramping followed by diarrhea that progressively worsens and is often bloody. HUS usually strikes at about the time the person starts to recover from the initial symptoms.
The organisms emit a powerful toxin, known as Shiga toxin, which attacks the red blood cells and can lead to hemorrhaging, brain damage, spinal cord injury, anemia heart problems and destruction of vital organs. E. coli also is the leading cause of kidney failure in children worldwide.
Doyle’s veto of the raw milk bill wouldn’t have happened without the urging of the medical and food safety community, which includes law firm Pritzker Olsen.
Here’s a partial lineup of health groups that lobbied the governor to kill the raw milk initiative: The Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Wisconsin Public Health Association, the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards, the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians, the Wisconsin Medical Society, Marshfield Clinic, Gundersen Lutheran and the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association.
Tags: E. coli O157:H7, HUS
