More fall ill in Listeria outbreak
More fall ill in Listeria outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reported three more illnesses caused by a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes linked to packaged salads produced at Dole's Springfield, OH, processing facility. Additionally, seven people in Canada have been infected with the same outbreak strain of Listeria, including one person who died; however, it has not been determined if Listeria contributed to the cause of death.
The three new cases bring the total in the United States up to 15. All 15 people were hospitalized, including one person from Michigan who died as a result of listeriosis. One illness was reported in a pregnant woman.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the seven people infected were from five Canadian provinces. Laboratory tests performed on clinical isolates from ill people in Canada showed that the isolates are highly related genetically to Listeria isolates from ill people in the United States.
Although the investigation began in September 2015, the source of these illnesses wasn't known until January 2016 when a laboratory result from a packaged salad collected in Ohio linked the illnesses to the Dole processing facility in Springfield.
As a result, Dole temporarily suspended operations at its Springfield production facility and issued a voluntary recall of all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at that location.
"Our voluntary product recall is a result of a suspected link of the products to a Listeria outbreak, but the exact source is still unknown,” Dole said in a statement. "We are working closely with regulatory agencies as our Springfield plant undergoes additional investigation and testing."
