CDC: Listeria outbreak linked to Florida
MIAMI - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a specific food item has not yet been identified as the source of a listeria outbreak.
They said that most of the sick people in this outbreak live in or traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick.
The CDC said one person had died and 22 required hospitalization.
The person who died was from Illinois and one pregnant woman lost her fetus, the CDC said.
Here's a look at listeriosis, a serious infection generally caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.
Typically, Listeriosis affects older adults, pregnant women, infants and adults with compromised immune systems.
Pregnant women are approximately 10 times more likely to get listeriosis. Pregnant Hispanic women are 24 times more likely to get listeriosis than other people.
Symptoms and Treatment
Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, and sometimes diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems. Other symptoms are headache, confusion and convulsions.
Almost everyone diagnosed with listeriosis has an infection that has spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.
Infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or infection of the newborn.
Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics.
Prevention
General recommendations:
Thoroughly cook meat.
Clean raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating.
Keep uncooked meats and poultry separate from vegetables and from cooked foods.
Do not drink unpasteurized milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.
Wash hands, utensils and countertops after handling uncooked foods.
Recommendations for persons at high risk:
Do not eat hot dogs, cold cuts, other deli meats, or fermented or dry sausages unless they are cooked properly.
Do not eat refrigerated meat spreads and pâtés.
Do not eat soft cheese unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk.
Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is in a cooked dish or it is canned.