Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Includes Florida: Attorneys Investigating Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuits
A 70-year-old Florida woman became ill after eating cantaloupes linked to an outbreak of Listeria, according to a Miami Herald story. Our attorneys are representing victims of this outbreak and their families in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Contact our Listeria lawyers for a free consultation regarding a cantaloupe lawsuit.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed that the Listeria strain is genetically linked to the outbreak associated with Rocky Ford cantaloupes grown on Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., according to the story. The woman, who moved to Florida two weeks ago, ate the tainted cantaloupes while living in Alabama.
Since mid-August, the cantaloupe listeria outbreak has sickened 55 people in 14 states, eight of whom have died, according to a September 21 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Listeriosis is a serious, sometimes fatal infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The disease primarily affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns. Antibiotics given promptly can cure the illness and prevent infection of a fetus. However, even with prompt treatment, some Listeria infections result in death.
Symptoms of listeriosis can take as long as 70 day to appear after contaminated food is ingested. They include fever and muscle aches, often preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. In more severe cases, there can also be headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, according to the CDC.
News Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/26/2426187/florida-reports-illness-linked.html#ixzz1Z9GgJ9TU
