The food supply behind a multistate outbreak of listeria infections that mostly affected persons who either reside in Florida or traveled there before becoming ill is being looked into.
23 instances of listeriosis, a bacterial ailment typically brought on by consuming listeria-contaminated food, had been reported as of June 29 across 10 states, resulting in 22 hospitalizations and one fatality.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that 20 of the infections came from patients who lived in Florida or visited Florida within a month of becoming ill. The “significance” of this link to Florida is still being looked into, according to the CDC.
With a median age of 72, sick persons ranged in age from 0 to 92. Between January 24 and June 12, illnesses began to be recorded. Public health officials are still questioning infected individuals about the items they consumed in the month before becoming ill. A common food source has not yet been found. Health inspectors must wait up to four weeks to establish whether a sick person is a part of an outbreak.
The Little Bear brand of Vidalia onions, which were transported by A&M Farms to numerous states and may have been contaminated with listeria, was recalled on June 30. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have not connected the recalled onions to the outbreak investigation, and no illnesses have been associated with eating the recalled onions. Some Wegmans locations in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania as well as some Publix locations in Florida and Georgia sold the Little Bear brand of recalled Vidalia onions.
