"Bovine tuberculosis has been specifically and conclusively diagnosed in humans. It is decidedly uncommon in a world in which human tuberculosis is common. The spread of bovine tuberculosis in humans is clouded by historic misinformation and imperfect science. In The Untold Story of Milk, Ron Schmid does a thorough job of debunking the huge store of medical dogma on this subject.6 During the 1800s, when tuberculosis was widespread in the US, the complexity of the disease was unknown. A few people had intestinal tuberculosis presumably from ingesting, rather than inhaling, the bacteria. Since it was known that many dairy cows were infected with tuberculosis it was presumed—and reinforced by those pushing for pasteurization—that milk was the vehicle of contagion. When it was found that cows had a distinct form of tuberculosis, the dogma expanded, generalizing that all human infections with the bovine form of the bacteria were transmitted through milk (even though the vast majority had lung infections caused by inhalation not ingestion).
In his book, Ron Schmid further details the lack of any association of human infection with bovine tuberculosis within communities that regularly consumed raw milk."
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Please read the article attached on bovine and human tuberculosis from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Further, the safety of raw milk cheese is well-covered at
http://drinc.ucdavis.edu/dfoods5_new.htmThe intervention of governments for public health and safety in dairy products and their production is not for the purpose of wanton control, but for the benefit of ALL of us, not just those who choose to use raw milk products (remember that all the rest of us can 'catch' these diseases without choosing how others live their lives).
California is the #1 dairy producing state. 'Big Bad California' started mandatory brucellosis vaccination in cattle in 1948
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/repositoryfiles/ca201p9-71165.pdfI am using California and UC Davis, specifically, as examples for what is done nationwide. Naturally, food safety is not limited to dairy products. I believe it was Boofer who said something about sterilizing fruits and vegetables. This is not a fair comparison to sterilizing milk, as fruits and vegetables need only be SURFACE sterilized. An analogy is that of cuts of beef--steak is 'surface sterilized' from E. coli by outside searing. The inside is intact and is not subject to contact with E. coli. Ground beef, on the other hand, is inherently subject to contact contamination with E. coli through the process of grinding and mixing, thus must be cooked to a safe internal temperature. Consider fruits and vegs like steak, and milk and cheese like ground beef.
The Western Center for Food Safety
http://wcfs.ucdavis.edu/ shows extensive work done for public safety in food production
Because I am a scientist involved in the production of fruits and nuts (UC Davis), and my husband is a retired professor of ruminant physiology from the UC Davis Vet School, we have a strong bias toward science-based factual information. People get very invested in their views one way or another on raw milk and similar issues, such as vaccination. I can say from my experience, that organically raised produce is easier to produce when conventional growers control pests in the same general areas that organic growers operate, because the conventional growers are doing much of the 'work' of reducing those pests. Likewise, all those who vaccinate their kids are greatly reducing the likelihood that kids from families that don't vaccinate won't contract communicable diseases that are prevented by vaccination. The World Health Organization states: In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.
Who would like to live in a world without vaccination, antibiotics, or pasteurization? How many of us would enjoy going back to a world where most people were subsistence farmers? I have a friend who was 1 of 13 children in her family in rural Mexico--she never went to school past age 8 because everyone had to work just to raise enough food to feed themselves. There was no dental care and very little medical care. She is only in her 40's--and much of the world still lives that way. How many of us want to give up all that technological advances have given us? How many who advocate raw milk for themselves and their children would not seek conventional medical help if one of their children were severely ill as a result? I lived in Mexico for 5 years and have also done consulting work on food production in Afghanistan and Morocco--and seen how people live where much of what we take for granted is not available to them.
We are so very lucky to have the choices we have--despite those who think 'big business' or 'government' is out to control our lives. We have the luxury of health! So drink raw milk if you choose--if you happen to be one of the few who contracts a life-threatening disease, please ensure that all of the expenses you incur are paid only by you, and not by any taxpayer who should not be affected by your personal choice! If you contract an infectious disease as a result of consuming raw dairy products, I hope no one else suffers as a result.