Ice cream linked to listeria outbreak that left one dead and dozens hospitalized

• Health authorities have linked ice cream made in Florida to the listeria outbreak in the US.
• The listeria outbreak caused one death and left more than 20 people hospitalized.
• The ice cream that may have sparked the outbreak was manufactured in Florida.

Be careful if you may have bought this product. On Saturday, investigators from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked an ice cream made in Sarasota, Florida, to a listeria outbreak that has killed at least one person and hospitalized two dozen more in 10 states since January.

Although a formal recall or withdrawal of the product has not been issued from all establishments, the CDC has advised consumers who have Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream, which is sold exclusively in Florida, to throw it away immediately, according to Boston 25 News.

Listeria outbreak was caused by Big Olaf Creamery ice cream

«Big Olaf Creamery in Sarasota, FL, is voluntarily contacting outlets to recommend that their ice cream products not be sold until further notice,» the CDC stated. They also advised consumers and business owners to clean up areas, containers, and serving utensils that may have touched Big Olaf ice cream products.

According to the CDC, the fatality linked to the listeria outbreak occurred in Illinois. In addition, five pregnant women fell ill and at least one patient suffered a miscarriage, according to WPLG which was also quoted by Boston 25 News.

Immediately discard the tainted ice cream

Although Florida remains the epicenter of the listeria outbreak, with 12 cases reported to date, the CDC confirmed Thursday that New York and Massachusetts have each reported two cases, while Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have confirmed one case each, according to WTVJ.

According to the CDC, nearly all of the 23 people infected by the listeria outbreak are living in or had traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick. The agency also warned that the outbreak may be more widespread than public health figures indicate because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for the disease.

Symptoms to watch out for

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly, and others with weakened immune systems. It can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizures, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, the CDC explained.

Although healthy people may experience only short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, the agency stated. Symptoms typically begin within two weeks of eating the contaminated food, but can start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days, the WPLG said. According to the CDC, an estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, resulting in about 260 deaths.