020925 Food-Borne Illness Caused Deaths in Eastern USSeptember 20, 2002New York (Reuters Health) - Dozens of individuals in states throughout the eastern US have become ill from food-borne Listeria bacteria, with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reporting two deaths. "It is believed that the infections are related to a multistate outbreak of listeriosis that has affected five states throughout the Midwest and Northeast, and was first identified in Pennsylvania," Department of Health officials said in a statement released Monday. In New York City, DNA tests have confirmed that eight individuals have become ill after infection with the strain of Listeria identified in the Pennsylvania outbreak. Two New York patients, both with compromised immune systems, have died from the illness. Listeria are food-borne bacteria sometimes found in cold cuts, hot dogs, soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk and contaminated vegetables. It can cause stillbirth in pregnant women and, in rare cases, can lead to fatal septicemia (blood infection) in those with compromised immune systems, such as the very old or those infected with HIV. Initial symptoms of listeriosis include fever, nausea, muscle ache, abdominal pains, and diarrhea. According to a report in the New York Times, other outbreaks of listeriosis have so far been recorded in Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey. To avoid infection, pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems are being urged to avoid refrigerated pates or meat spreads, soft cheeses (such as Brie or Camembert), which contain unpasteurized milk, and cold meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
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