One person dead, 16 ill after listeriosis outbreak possibly tied to meat recall

Text:

Web Staff, cp24.com
Published Friday, August 22, 2008 4:08PM EDT
Last Updated Friday, May 18, 2012 8:51PM EDT

One Ontario resident is dead and at least 16 others are ill following an outbreak of listeriosis.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to serve or eat some Maple Leaf deli meat products because they may be contaminated with lysteria.

Several products have been recalled. For a full list of recalled products, scroll to the bottom of this page.

It's not known if the outbreak and the meat recall are connected.

Most of the human cases of listeriosis are in Ontario, where 12 people are ill and there are 16 probably or suspected cases, the province's chief medical officer of health says.

Low levels of lysteria bacteria have been found on certain packages of sliced turkey, roast beef, ham and other products. The items were sold to restaurants, nursing homes and deli counters.

Listeriosis is a rare but potentially serious food-borne illness. Its symptoms include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.

The incubation period for the infection is from three to 70 days, with an average incubation period of three weeks.

Cases of listeriosis have also been reported in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec. Ontario is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the other provinces in the investigation.

Listeriosis must be reported to local public health units.

The complete list of affected products, including individual product codes and best-before dates, is as follows:

26365, Sliced Cooked Turkey Breast, 470 grams, Sept. 30;
02106, Schneiders Bavarian Smokies, 1 kilogram, Oct. 28;
02126, Schneiders Cheddar Smokies, 1 kilogram, Oct. 28;
21333, Sure Slice Roast Beef, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;
21388, Sure Slice Combo Pack, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;
60243, Deli Gourmet Roast Beef slices, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;
02356, Seasoned Cooked Roast Beef, 500 grams, Oct. 7;
42706, Roast Beef, Seasoned and Cooked, 500 grams, Oct. 7;
21334, Sure Slice Turkey Breast Roast, 1 kilogram, Oct. 14;
21444, Sure Slice Corned Beef, 1 kilogram, Oct. 14;
44938, Montreal Style Corned Beef, 500 grams, Oct. 14;
21440, Sure Slice Black Forest Style Ham, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;
21447, Sure Slice Salami, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;
21331, Sliced Smoked Ham, 1 kilogram, Oct, 21;
48019, Deli Shaved Corned Beef, 200 grams, Oct 21;
48020, Schneiders Deli Shaved Smoked Meat, 200 grams, Oct 21;
48016, Deli Shaved Smoked Ham, 200 grams, Oct 21;
48018, Deli Shaved Smoked Turkey Breast,150 grams, Oct 21;
48017, Deli Shaved Fully Cooked Smoked Honey Ham, 200 grams, Oct 21;
21360, Bites Pepperoni, 500 grams, Jan 1, 2009;
99158, Turkey Breast Roast, 1 kilogram, Sept 30;
71330, Roast Beef Cooked, Seasoned, Sept 30;
71331, Corned Beef, Smoked Meat, Sept 30;