Make America Healthy Again / RFK Jr.

New Mexico health officials say a newborn died of listeria in a case they believe was most likely caused by the mother drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk during pregnancy, and are urging residents to avoid unpasteurized dairy. The investigation could not pinpoint the precise exposure but, based on the timing of the infection and the mother’s reported raw‑milk consumption, concluded unpasteurized milk was the probable source. Listeria can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth or fatal infections in newborns even when the mother has only mild symptoms. The warning comes as raw‑milk sales and advocacy have grown nationwide, helped by social‑media promotion and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s "Make America Healthy Again" push for less‑processed foods, raising concern among public‑health experts that more vulnerable people may be exposed to high‑risk products. Officials emphasize that pasteurization — briefly heating milk to high temperatures — dramatically reduces the risk not only of listeria but of other serious pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter.