Listeria outbreak update – Ice cream company linked to infections after one died and 22 hospitalized in 10 states

An ice cream company has been linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak after one person died and 22 people were hospitalized in 10 states.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration have linked the outbreak to an ice cream company in Sarasota, Florida.

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Big Olaf Creamery has been warned by federal authorities not to ship the products until further notice, the New York Times reports.

The Florida Department of Health says the company’s ice cream has sickened people in 10 states.

One person from Illinois has reportedly died from the disease, and a pregnant Massachusetts woman miscarried.

Almost all of those infected either live in Florida or have traveled to the state.

12 people live in Florida and the others live in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas and Colorado, according to a CDC map.

The CDC is interviewing affected individuals as part of its investigation into the Listeria outbreak.

Of the 17 people surveyed, 14 said they ate ice cream before becoming ill.

According to the CDC website, six of them said they ate Big Olaf Creamery-brand ice cream or consumed ice cream at locations that Big Olaf Creamery may have supplied.

The CDC reported the outbreak on June 30, 2022.

The US Sun has reached out to Big Olaf Creamery for comment.

LISTERIA IS A FOODBODY ORGANISM

Listeria infection is a foodborne bacterial disease that can be fatal in pregnant women, those over the age of 65, and people with compromised immune systems.

The consumption of poorly prepared sausages and unpasteurized dairy products are the most common causes of illness.

Listeria infection is rarely fatal to healthy adults, but it can be fatal to unborn babies, newborns, and people with weaker immune systems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Listeria bacteria can withstand freezing temperatures and even cold.