The Health Ministry is calling on members of the public to refrain from consuming raw milk, and products made from raw milk because they can be infected with Brucella abortus, a form of brucellosis.
This follows confirmation of the brucellosis infection on cattle herds in the Tailevu area by the Ministry of Agriculture recently.
Media Liaison Officer Iliesa Tora said brucella abortus causes a multitude of somatic complaints, including intermittent fever, headaches, fatigue, joint and bone pain, psychotic disturbances like depression and weight loss.
Tora said the transmission into humans occur either through contact with the tissues of infected animals at slaughter or ingestion of unpasteurized milk derived from infected cattle.
He added the disease can also gain entry into humans through breaks in the skin, mucus membranes, conjuctivita and respiratory tract.
However Primary Industries Media Liaison Officer Jo Uluilakeba said Brucellosis is the name they opted to use instead of Brucella abortus, and it is not another form of the disease.
Meanwhile those that consume Rewa Dairy milk can be assured that it is safe.
Rewa Dairy Chief Executive Savenaca Seniloli explains that the first screening is where the identified animals have been quarantined adding that at their 4 miles factory, the raw milk is heat treated twice with the heat process depending on the end product.
He said the raw milk goes through the thermalization stage which is heating at 65 degrees celsius, then it is chill stored followed by pasteurization at 80 degrees celsius.
Caution issued on consumption of raw milk
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