Listeria outbreak kills California babies, sickens 10 more: US CDC – National

A California baby has died and at least 10 other people have been sickened by an outbreak of Listeria food poisoning linked to prepared meat and poultry products including chicken legs, duck neck, beef shank and pork knuckle, federal health officials reported. Friday.

Yu Shang Food, Inc., of Spartanburg, South Carolina, has recalled more than 72,000 pounds of meat and poultry products linked to the outbreak, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some products were initially recalled on November 9.

The foods were shipped to stores nationwide and available online, and illnesses have been reported in four states. The problem was discovered in October after routine testing discovered listeria in the food and production environment.

Of the 11 sick people, nine were hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said. A California woman who was pregnant with twins became ill and both babies died, the CDC said, but listeria was only found in a sample from one of the babies, so that child and the mother were included in the count, but the other child not. T.

Interviews with people who were sick and laboratory results pointed to Yu Shang Food's products.

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At least 9 deaths from Listeria outbreak in US

Although the foods have been recalled, some may still be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers. The products must be discarded or returned to the place of purchase. Refrigerators, containers and other surfaces that may have come into contact with food should be cleaned and disinfected.

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People become sick from listeria poisoning when they eat food contaminated with the bacteria. Symptoms may be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illnesses may include headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

Listeria poisoning is troublesome because symptoms can occur quickly, within hours or days of eating contaminated food. But they can also take weeks to three months to appear. Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people over 65, and people with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.

Another listeria outbreak linked to recalled Boar's Head meats has ended, CDC officials said this week. That outbreak killed ten people and sickened dozens of others this summer.

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