Warning issued about potential rabies in raw milk at a Claremore dairy

Thursday, December 22nd 2005, 11:25 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The state Health Department says anyone who drank raw, unpasteurized milk or cream sold by Swan Brothers Dairy in Claremore earlier this month may have been exposed to rabies.

One cow at the farm has been confirmed to have rabies and its milk was combined with milk from healthy cows and sold from December 4th through the 19th.

Health officials say most healthy persons who drank the milk or cream are not at risk, but people with certain medical conditions should contact their doctor to determine if rabies shots are needed.

Those conditions include suppressed immune systems and abnormalities of the palate, mouth, throat or esophagus.

Rabies is usually transmitted through a bite or saliva into an opening in the skin. There are no documented cases of human rabies due to drinking milk from a rabid animal, but a small risk is thought to exist.

Milk sold at commercial stores and restaurants are required to be pasteurized and are considered safe.