One person has died and 22 others have been hospitalised as a result of a listeria epidemic blamed on Florida ice cream, the federal government said on Saturday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Big Olaf Creamery, based in Sarasota, Fla., only distributes ice cream in Florida. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 10 of those hospitalised were from out of state and had visited Florida in the preceding month.
From one year old to 92 years old have been infected by the bacteria linked to Big Olaf ice cream products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Five women were unwell throughout their pregnancies, one of them lost her baby.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) examined 17 persons, and 14 of them admitted to eating ice cream. At least six persons said they had eaten Big Olaf ice cream or were served it at a venue that sold it.
According to the company’s website, the ice cream at a creamery in Pinecraft, a Sarasota neighbourhood, is manufactured by Amish artisans.
According to the C.D.C., Big Olaf started contacting retail outlets on Friday to discourage the sale of the product and recommended consumers to throw away any that they still had on hand. There hasn’t been a formal recall announcement.
On Sunday, no one from Big Olaf Creamery could be reached for comment.
An infection with the bacterium listeria may be lethal if not treated promptly. Approximately 1,600 individuals in the United States each year get listeriosis as a result of contaminated food.
Flu-like symptoms, including as fever, muscular pains, vomiting, and diarrhoea, may begin two weeks after swallowing food contaminated with the bacterium, although the beginning might vary, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, severe cases might take months to develop.
Unpasteurized milks and ice creams, undercooked chicken, and raw vegetables have been linked to listeria outbreaks in the past. People with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, pregnant women, and infants, are more prone to illness.
Approximately one out of every five persons who have listeriosis dies, according to the C.D.C. About 20% of pregnancies are affected by the virus, which is particularly harmful.
Listeria outbreaks often harm more individuals than previously recorded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).