Most patients live or travel in the state
An investigation is underway to determine the food source responsible for the multistate outbreak of listeriosis, primarily involving people who lived in or traveled to Florida before they got sick.
As of June 29, a total of 23 cases of listeriosis, a bacterial infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with listeria, have been reported in 10 states, resulting in 22 hospitalizations and one death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 cases of infection have been reported by Florida residents or who traveled to Florida in the month before they got sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the "significance" of this connection to Florida is still being investigated. Other states involved in the outbreak include Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The ages of the patients ranged from less than 1 to 92 years with a mean age of 72 years. Notification of the disease began between January 24 and June 12. Public health officials continue to ask infected people what foods they ate during the month. before they get sick. To date, a common food source has not been identified. Health officials take up to four weeks to determine if a sick person has been part of an outbreak.
Meanwhile, some Vidalia onions, which were distributed in several states by A&M Farms and marketed under the Little Bear trade name, were recalled on June 30 due to concerns it was contaminated with listeria. However, neither the CDC nor the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has linked salvaged onions to the outbreak investigation, and no disease has been linked to consuming salvaged onions. The Little Bear brand of Vidalia herbal onions is sold at select Wegmans stores in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as Publix stores in Florida and Georgia.
Aaron Kasrae writes about issues important to veterans and their families for AARP. He also works as a general assignment reporter. Kasry previously covered US foreign policy as a Washington bureau correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency and worked as a reporter for USA Today and Al Jazeera English.
Comments
Post a Comment