Listeria outbreak leaves one dead and 22 hospitalized: Know the symptoms

• One death has been linked to a multi-state listeria outbreak.
• The source of the listeria outbreak has not been located.
• The authorities ask the public to be alert to the symptoms.

Be careful of the food you eat. One death and 22 hospitalizations have been linked to a listeria outbreak of unknown origin, health officials in the United States reported on Thursday, June 30, according to various media reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not yet identified any food that could be spreading the deadly bacteria, but officials warned that the public should be alert to symptoms and the possibility of infection, according to the AP.

Listeria outbreak leaves one dead

Symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics but it is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with vulnerable immune systems, explained the AP.

CDC officials said nearly all of the 23 people known to have been infected during the listeria outbreak live in, or had traveled to, Florida about a month before they became ill. However, the AP did not specify which city, or cities, they had been to.

It is not yet known which food is spreading the bacteria

Listeriosis is one of the most dangerous types of food poisoning and 22 of those infected were hospitalized after developing the illness. An unidentified Illinois person has died and a woman who was pregnant suffered a miscarriage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Symptoms of listeria infection usually begin one to four weeks after eating contaminated food but sometimes they appear on the same day. The first cases occurred in January of this year, but they have continued up to this month with the infection of two people, CDC officials stated.

Be alert if you are at risk for listeria infection

CBS News noted that the cases of Listeria have been reported in 10 states and emphasized that all the patients lived in Florida or had traveled there a month before they manifested symptoms of the infection. It also specified that five patients were pregnant and one of them suffered a miscarriage.

If you’re at high risk and experiencing symptoms, particularly if you’ve recently traveled to Florida, the CDC says you should contact your health care provider. According to CBS News, there are about 1,600 cases of listeria in the country each year. In fact, earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration announced that cheeses produced by a Kansas City, Missouri company, were recalled in nine states due to possible listeria contamination.