Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) once again posted an update regarding the national Listeriosis outbreak. According to the numbers they cite, as of yesterday, 123 individuals have contracted Listeria monocytogenes associated with the outbreak. Additionally, twenty-six states have been impacted by these four strains of Listeria. Worst of all, twenty-five are dead and one miscarriage has been linked to the Listeria in question.
A per state breakdown of the Listeriosis cases is as follows: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (2), Colorado (36), Idaho (1), Illinois (2), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (7), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (4), Montana (1), Nebraska (6), New Mexico (13), New York (2), North Dakota (1), Oklahoma (11), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (3).
Deaths have been reported in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming.
As the numbers continue to rise, many questions remain unanswered. However, no answer will suffice to explain how so many became ill and so many died at the hands of this virulent foodborne illness. Listeria is known to be deadly, but with over 100 ill and 25 dead, it leaves us to wonder why this outbreak hit its victims so severely.
To this time, the CDC is warning consumers not to eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes which were produced by Jensen Farms. If you are unsure if the cantaloupe you have purchased is one of those recalled, don’t take any chances.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
