In California, a tragic incident has occurred where an infant has lost their life due to a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meats and poultry products, which include items such as chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank, and pork hock. According to federal health authorities, a minimum of ten additional individuals have also fallen ill as a result of this outbreak.
Yu Shang Food, Inc., based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has initiated a recall of over 72,000 pounds of meat and poultry products associated with this health crisis. The U.S. Agriculture Department has noted that some of these products were initially recalled on November 9th.
These contaminated food items have been distributed to retail outlets across the country and were also available for online purchase. Reports of illness have emerged from four different states. The outbreak was first identified in October when routine testing revealed the presence of listeria in both the products and the surrounding production environment.
From the eleven reported cases, nine individuals have required hospitalization, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Investigations including interviews with affected individuals and laboratory analyses have traced the source of the illness back to the products distributed by Yu Shang Food.
Although these products have been recalled, there is a possibility that some may still be found in the homes of consumers. It is strongly advised that these items be discarded or returned to the place of purchase. Additionally, it is crucial to thoroughly clean and sanitize refrigerators, containers, and any surfaces that may have come into contact with the contaminated foods.
Listeria poisoning occurs when individuals consume food that has been tainted with this harmful bacteria. Symptoms may range from mild to severe and can include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. More serious complications can manifest as headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
One of the challenges with listeria infection is that symptoms may appear rapidly, within hours or days of consuming contaminated food, but they can also take weeks or even up to three months to present. Those at higher risk include infants, seniors over the age of 65, individuals with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women.
In a related note, the CDC has reported the conclusion of a separate listeria outbreak that was linked to recalled Boar’s Head deli meats. This previous outbreak had devastating effects, resulting in ten fatalities during the summer and causing numerous other illnesses.
