Louisiana Farms Linked to Raw Milk Illness Outbreak as LDH Investigates Three Operations
LAFAYETTE, La. — Eleven people in Louisiana have gotten sick and two have been hospitalized after drinking raw milk from farms in the state, the Louisiana Department of Health announced Tuesday.
The illnesses are spread across three separate milking operations. LDH says the investigation is still active and additional cases may surface.
Sick individuals tested positive for campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis, or both. These are infections caused by bacteria and parasites that turn up in unpasteurized dairy. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. Illness typically sets in two to ten days after exposure and can last one to three weeks, though some people develop complications that take longer to resolve.
No deaths have been reported.
What Is Raw Milk, and Why Is It a Concern?
Raw milk is unpasteurized milk from cows, goats, sheep, or other animals. The pasteurization process heats milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time to kill disease-causing germs. It does not reduce the nutritional value of milk.
Even animals raised under good farming conditions can carry harmful pathogens, and no level of farm hygiene fully eliminates that risk. Raw milk can contain campylobacter, cryptosporidium, E. coli, listeria, brucella, and salmonella.
Young children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk of serious illness from raw milk infections.
What Louisiana Law Says About Raw Milk
Under Louisiana law, raw milk may only be sold or distributed for animal or pet consumption, not for human consumption. LDH does not regulate raw milk production or raw milk products sold under that designation.
Louisiana lawmakers have debated expanding raw milk access for years. In 2024, HB 467 gave farmers a defined legal path to sell raw milk under a commercial feed license, with the human consumption ban remaining intact. Proponents said it would allow farmers to sell milk rather than discard it; the state’s own health department has made clear the product carries real health risks when consumed.
LDH has not publicly named the three farms connected to this outbreak.
What to Do If You’ve Consumed Raw Milk
Anyone who has recently consumed raw milk or raw milk products and is experiencing symptoms should seek medical care. To report a potential illness, contact your regional LDH epidemiologist through the department’s infectious disease page.
Additional information is available from the CDC:
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