A newborn's death likely linked to the mom drinking raw milk while
pregnant
[February 05, 2026]
By JONEL ALECCIA
A newborn baby died from a listeria infection likely linked to the
child's mother drinking raw milk during pregnancy, health officials
said.
New Mexico officials this week warned people to avoid consuming
unpasteurized dairy products following the death. Interest in and sales
of raw milk have been rising in recent years, fueled by social media and
growing support from the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make
America Healthy Again movement.
State officials provided few details about the newborn, citing privacy
restrictions. While investigators said they could not determine the
exact cause of the baby's death, the most likely source of infection
was unpasteurized milk. That conclusion was based on information
gathered during the investigation, including the timing of the infection
and reports that the mother drank raw milk during pregnancy, an official
said.
Raw milk can contain several disease-causing germs, including listeria.
That is a type of bacteria that can cause miscarriage, stillbirth,
preterm birth, or fatal infections in newborns, even if the mother is
only mildly ill.
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A dairy cow is milked at a farm in Newcastle, Maine, March 31, 2015.
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
 Pasteurization the process of
heating milk to a high enough temperature to kill germs can
prevent infections from listeria as well as other types of bacteria
as well as viruses. Raw milk can contain germs that cause infections
from avian influenza, brucella, tuberculosis, salmonella,
campylobacter, cryptosporidium and E. coli. Many of those infections
are particularly dangerous to young children, people older than 65
and those with weakened immune systems.
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