NEW YORK (AP) — While U.S. health authorities investigate a fatal outbreak of listeria food poisoningThey advise pregnant women, the elderly or individuals with weakened immune systems to avoid eating cold cuts unless they’re re-cooked at home using steaming hot water.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not issued a food recall as of Saturday morning since it continues to be unclear which products are contaminated with the bacteria now blamed for 2 deaths and 28 hospitalizations in 12 states. That means the contaminated food should still be in circulation and consumers should consider their personal risk level when consuming deli meats.
Federal Health Officials warned on Friday that the variety of cases is probably going underreported because people recovering at home are unlikely to be tested. For the identical reason, the outbreak could have spread beyond the states where listeria infections have been reported, primarily within the Midwest and along the East Coast of the United States.
According to the CDC, the biggest variety of known cases – seven – occurred in New York. The deceased were from Illinois and New Jersey.
What the investigators discovered
Of the people investigators were in a position to interview, “89% reported eating meat sliced in a deli department, most commonly deli-sliced turkey, liver sausage, and ham. The meat was sliced in a variety of deli departments in supermarkets and grocery stores,” the CDC said.
And samples collected from the victims between May 29 and July 5 show that the bacteria are closely related genetically.
“This information suggests that meat sliced in the deli department is a likely source of this outbreak. However, CDC does not currently have enough information to say which deli meat is the source of this outbreak,” the agency said in an announcement posted on its website on Friday.
What to expect should you are infected
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and fatigue and could cause stiff neck, confusion, lack of balance and convulsions. Symptoms may appear quickly or as much as 10 weeks after eating contaminated food.
Diagnosis could be made by examining body fluids, normally blood, and sometimes urine or spinal fluid. in response to the Mayo Clinic.
According to the CDC, listeria infections are especially dangerous for people over 65 and people with weakened immune systems. The victims of this outbreak ranged in age from 32 to 94, with the typical age being 75.
In pregnant women, listeria can increase the danger of miscarriage. One of the victims in the present outbreak was pregnant but didn’t miscarry, officials said.
Infections limited to the intestines – intestinal listeriosis – can often be treated without antibiotics, in response to the CDC. For example, individuals with diarrhea might have extra fluids.
However, when the infection spreads beyond the intestines (invasive listeriosis), it is amazingly dangerous and is commonly treated with antibiotics to scale back the danger of blood infections and brain inflammation, in response to the Mayo Clinic.
What concerning the meat in your fridge?
So far, there isn’t a evidence that packaged sausage meat is making people sick. And at-risk individuals who have already got sausage slices within the refrigerator can disinfect them by re-cooking them. “Refrigeration does not kill listeria, but reheating before consumption will kill any germs that might be on that meat,” explains the CDC.
Of course, a number of the products involved in previous listeria outbreaks can’t be reheated: Over the many years, listeria has led to voluntary or mandatory recalls of Cheese, Bean dips, milkMushrooms, packaged saladsAnd Ice cream.
Originally published:
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