3 Deaths Have Been Linked To Listeria Outbreaks Affecting Dole & Fresh Express Packaged Salads
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The CDC says 27 people are sick, 23 are hospitalized, and three are dead across several states due to two listeria outbreaks linked to prepackaged salads.
Back in December, Dole recalled products with "best if used by" dates from November 30, 2021 through January 9, 2022. Dole said the products were all produced by their company, but sold under several different brands.
The strain of listeria identified in this recall has been connected to 17 illnesses, 13 hospitalizations, and one death across 13 states.
Fresh Express salads were also included in the recall. The CDC said that 10 people had been hospitalized across eight states from the strain linked to this outbreak, and that one had died.
Listeria is a serious bacterial infection that infects about 1,600 people in the US per year. About 260 of those infections result in death.
The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.
To protect yourself, the CDC recommends taking the following steps:
Do not eat any recalled packaged salads.
- Throw them away or return them to where you bought them.
- Follow these five steps to clean your refrigerator, items, and surfaces that may have touched the recalled products. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms after eating packaged salads.
- Pregnant people usually experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.
- People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
Stay up to date on this outbreak by following CDC on Facebook or Twitter.
- Share the latest outbreak information with your friends and family who are at higher risk of getting sick from Listeria (aged 65 and older, are pregnant, or have a weakened immune system).
Click here for more information about listeria.
