This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nine people who drank raw milk from Heber Valley Milk in the past five months contracted salmonella.
The Utah Department of Health on Tuesday said health officials currently are investigating the outbreak. A raw milk sample collected from the Wasatch County dairy last week tested positive for Salmonella Saintpaul. But a more recent sample showed no signs of the infection, so the dairy has resumed sales.
Grant Kohler, owner of the dairy, said he is working with the state to determine the cause of the outbreak.
"We don't know what the cause was and we're not 100 percent sure that it's our place," Kohler said. "We will do whatever we need to do to make sure we're selling a safe product."
Symptoms of this bacterial infection, which typically appear within a week of the exposure, include diarrhea, fever, headache and vomiting. Most people do not need treatment to recover, but the illness can be serious.
The nine individuals, whose ages ranged from 15 to 78 years old, became sick between March 20 and Aug. 14. Two were hospitalized, but they have since recovered.
Health officials have documented 30 outbreaks — with more than 400 sick individuals — since 2009 related to raw milk sold at dairies in the state.
Officials warn Utahns that even if raw, unpasteurized milk contains bacteria, such as salmonella, it does not smell or look any different. Pregnant women, young children, individuals with poor immune systems and the elderly should not drink raw milk, health officials say.
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