Dozens of people fell ill with salmonella after drinking raw milk from a California farm

Dozens of salmonella cases have been linked to raw milk from a California farm in an outbreak far wider than previously known, according to newly released state records.

In February, at least 165 people were sickened by salmonella infections linked to products from Fresno, California-based Raw Farm, according to records. It is the largest salmonella outbreak linked to raw milk in the United States in the past decade, according to health officials.

The revelation about the scale of the outbreak comes at a time when health authorities have been warning people about unpasteurized milk because of the bird flu virus circulating in the country’s dairy cows.

Bird flu, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in more than 140 dairy herds. Experts warn that particularly high levels are appearing in raw milk.

State and local health officials had not informed the public about the full extent of the salmonella outbreak since October, when San Diego officials reported about a dozen cases. At the time, Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall of milk and heavy cream sold between Oct. 11 and Nov. 6.

But cases continued to pile up, according to documents obtained by Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety attorney who shared the records with . Marler said he represents 16 clients who were reportedly sickened during the outbreak.

Investigators compared samples from sick people to samples from the farm and a retail store, according to the documents. More than 60% of the people with confirmed infections who were interviewed reported consuming Raw Farm products. People from four states were infected, although the vast majority — 162 — were from California. Four of the people with salmonella were also infected with Campylobacter and/or the dangerous bacteria E. coli, according to the documents.

Nearly 40% of the illnesses were reported in children under 5, officials said. Twenty people were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

California health officials said Wednesday they had conducted a “robust” investigation in partnership with local teams and state agriculture officials. They also notified the public about the outbreak through a recall notice issued in October and social media posts that month, in November and December.

The outbreak ended on May 4, according to authorities. It is unclear whether more cases were reported after February.

Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm, acknowledged that his products were part of the outbreak. He said a single cow was infected with salmonella last fall and was later removed from the herd. He also said he implemented additional testing protocols in response to the outbreak.

Jessie McGee, 35, of San Pedro, California, said she plans to sue Raw Farm because her 6-year-old daughter was hospitalized in October with a confirmed infection linked to the outbreak. McGee said she had read online about the purported health benefits of raw milk and began drinking Raw Farm products and giving them to her daughter and her 2-year-old twins. All three children and McGee became ill, she said, but her oldest daughter’s symptoms of high fever and stomach cramps were the most severe.

After the ordeal, McGee said she will no longer drink unpasteurized milk.

“None of the potential benefits you could get from milk are worth it,” he said.