A California infant has died from Listeria monocytogenes during an outbreak linked to certain recalled ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 people in four states have been infected with the strain of the virus, nine of whom have been hospitalized. Seven cases have been reported in California, two in Illinois, and one each in New York and New Jersey.
Heath officials did not provide additional information about the infant who died in California, including where in the state he lived.
The recalled products are sold by Yu Shang Food Inc. of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and are labeled as manufactured in the United States and must be refrigerated. More than 72,000 pounds of meat and poultry products have been recalled, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
According to the Food Safety and Inspection Bureau, Listeria monocytogenes was detected during a routine inspection of Yusho Foods products. A complete list of affected products can be found here. Health officials say recalled products must be returned or thrown away, and residents should also clean refrigerators, surfaces and containers that may have come into contact with the product.
According to the CDC, people infected with Listeria monocytogenes may begin to feel sick within two weeks of eating contaminated food. Symptoms may begin as early as the day the infected food is eaten or up to 10 weeks later.
Symptoms include headache, muscle pain, fever, confusion, loss of balance, stiff neck, and diarrhea.
People most at risk from Listeria monocytogenes are the elderly, pregnant women, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems.
“For pregnant women, this infection can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection in the newborn,” the Food Safety and Inspection Service said.
People infected with Listeria monocytogenes can be treated with antibiotics.
Source link
