Officials blame Wisconsin outbreak on unpasteurized milk

ATLANTA - Seventy-five people in Wisconsin suffered severe diarrhea, fever and cramps after drinking unpasteurized milk. <br> <br> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that the December outbreak of campylobacter jejuni was traced to an organic dairy farm with 36 cows in Sawyer County. <br> <br> Because Wisconsin prohibits sales of unpasteurized milk to the public, the farm distributed the unpasteurized milk through a cow-leasing program in which people paid a fee for the milk. <br> <br> In 1995, 28 states allowed the sale of unpasteurized milk, including California. <br> <br> In pasteurization milk is heated to more than 150 degrees to kill bacteria. <br> <br> Many people believe unpasteurized milk tastes better and has more nutritional value. But studies have found no proof of such claims, according to a CDC official, Doctor Donita Croft.