United States: In California, an infant died and at least ten other individuals fell ill in a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meats and poultry items such as chicken feet, duck necks, beef, and pork hocks, according to federal officials on Friday.
More about the news
The primary carrier and processor involved, Yu Shang Food, Inc., based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has voluntarily pulled out more than 72,000 pounds of meat and poultry products suspected to have caused the outbreak, the US Agriculture Department reported.
Some of the products were earlier recalled on November 9.
The foods affected were available for purchase in stores across the country and through internet orders; illness has been confirmed in four states.
The problem was identified in October after the regular screening of listeria in foods produced and the surrounding atmosphere came up positive, ABC News reported.
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What more have the officials reported?
According to the CDC US of America, nine of the eleven individuals who were affected by this virus had to be admitted to hospital.
But a woman from California who was pregnant with twins – became ill and both twins died, listeria was found in a specimen from one of the babies, thus the child and the mother are included in the tally but not the second baby.
The victims who were interviewed and laboratory tests indicated that the Yu Shang Food products caused the sickness.
However, since some of the foods have remained in the market, some of them may still be in people’s refrigerators or frozen.
The products should be disposed of or returned to the retailer. Tongs, utensils, and other equipment that came in contact with the foods must be wiped and or washed, so also refrigerators, containers, etc.
Those at risk of getting listeria poisoning get ill when they consume foods that have been infected with the bacteria, ABC News reported.
About the disease
Signs and symptoms can be mild, thus the following: fever, muscle stiffness, feeling unwell, vomiting as well as diarrhea.
Mild symptoms are fever, lethargy, vomiting, and vomiting while more complicated illness is headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
It is in this category that Listeria poisoning falls, because the symptoms may show themselves after just a few hours, or within days of consuming the affected food.