MYSTERIOUS LISTERIA OUTBREAK IN 10 STATES
23 people affected who live in or traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick
Possible Product link
July 1, 2022, July 2, 2022, and July 8, 2022
CDC is advising people at high risk who have symptoms of a Listeria infection, especially those who have recently traveled to Florida, to talk to their healthcare provider. Healthcare providers should report listeriosis illnesses to their health department. This information may help investigators solve this outbreak.
July 8, 2022: CDC is concerned that Big Olaf Creamery ice cream could still be in people’s homes or available for sale in stores. Big Olaf Creamery ice cream is sold in Florida in Big Olaf Creamery stores and stores with different company names.
JULY 1, 2022 CDC FOOD SAFETY ALERT (July 2, 2022, follows below)
Illnesses: 23 people with Listeria
States: 10 states
Hospitalizations: 22
1 death in Illinois
5 got sick during their pregnancy and one illness resulted in a fetal loss
Investigation status: Active
Nearly all the people live in or traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick, although the significance of this is not yet known.
JULY 2, 2022
LISTERIA OUTBREAK LINKED TO BIG OLAF CREAMERY BRAND ICE CREAM SOLD IN FLORIA
Consumers who have Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream at home should throw away any remaining product. Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream is only sold in Florida.
Big Olaf Creamery in Sarasota, FL, is voluntarily contacting retail locations to recommend against selling their ice cream products until further notice.
Clean and disinfect any areas and equipment that may have touched Big Olaf ice cream products, including ice cream scoops and other serving utensils.
Among 10 people who did not live in Florida, 8 traveled to Florida in the month before getting sick.
This outbreak may not be limited to the states listed below because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria.
1 Colorado
12 Florida
1 Georgia
1 Illinois
1 Kansas
2 Massachusetts
1 Minnesota
1 New Jersey
2 New York
1 Pennsylvania
LISTERIA
Listeriosis, a serious germ infection, caused by eating contaminated food is treatable with antibiotics. If you ate food possibly contaminated with Listeria and do not feel sick, most experts believe you do not need tests or treatment. Symptoms of possible listeriosis are fever, fatigue, and muscle aches within two months after eating possibly contaminated food. You should seek medical care and tell the doctor about eating possibly contaminated food.
However, it can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to another part of the body. Symptoms: headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, and fever. It usually starts within two weeks after eating contaminated food but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days Most people with invasive listeriosis require hospital care, and about one in five people with the infection die.
Pregnant women typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. Listeriosis during pregnancy results in a fetal loss in about 20% and newborn death in about 3% of cases.
Some adults 65 years and older and people with weakened immune systems can develop severe infections of the bloodstream (causing sepsis) or brain (causing meningitis or encephalitis). Listeria infections can sometimes affect other parts of the body, including bones, joints, and sites in the chest and abdomen.
