Six Kansas Listeriosis Cases Investigated For Link to Multistate Outbreak
Update on this post: The CDC has reported that the 6 Kansas listeriosis cases are part of the listerosis outbreak linked to Rocky Ford cantaloupe grown in Colorado by Jensen Farms. Our attorneys are available for a free consultation regarding a lawsuit against Jensen Farms and others.
Six cases of listeriosis in Kansas are being investigated for their possible link to the cantaloupe Listeria outbreak that began in Colorado in August and has now reached 53 confirmed or possible cases and as many as seven deaths in a dozen states. The source of this outbreak is Rocky Ford cantaloupe grown by Jensen Farms of Colorado and distributed in Kansas and other states.
Laboratory tests are pending in a collaborative investigation by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test results will confirm whether the six cases of listeriosis reported in Kansas since August 26 are part of the multistate listeriosis outbreak associated with consumption of Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
The Rocky Ford cantaloupe outbreak of listeriosis began on or after August 15, 2011. The victims range in age from 38 to 96, but most have been women over the age of 60. All of them required hospitalization.
PritzkerOlsen. P.A., a nationally recognized leader in food safety law has launched an investigation of this outbreak, monitoring listeriosis cases in every state as the outbreaks spreads. Due to the scope and severity of this outbreak they are offering free consultations to those who have legal questions about illnesses that may be related to this outbreak.
Kansas typically reports fewer than six cases of listeriosis per year, but there have been seven cases in 2011, including the six cases currently under investigation.
Jensen Farms of Holly, Colo., issued a voluntary recall of Rocky Ford Cantaloupe on September 14, for melons shipped from July 29 through September 10, 2011. The cantaloupes were distributed in Kansas and several other states. The FDA is warning consumers not to eat Rocky Ford cantaloupe shipped by Jensen Farms because it potentially may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis.
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.
Symptoms 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. Pregnant women typically experience only mild, flu-like symptoms. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
