�On Monday, the Canadian health government revised from 4 to 12 the number of deaths from listeriosis that have been linked to contaminated
cold meat cuts and the number of officially confirmed cases is now 26 and is expected to rise over again, a health official told the press.
Maple Leaf foods, one of Canada's largest food processors, expanded its product call in over the weekend to include another 220 products, in
improver to the two types of frigid meat cuts already being pulled from the shelves.
Eating food polluted with Listeria monocytogenes, usually referred to as Listeria, can case Listeriosis, a foodborne malady. The
people most at risk of falling ill include the elderly, the very young, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems such as anyone with
HIV or undergoing chemotherapy. Although Listeria is everyplace in the environment, food manufacturers receive to follow strict procedures to make
sure it does non get into processed foods.
The Canadian health authorities are now enumeration all deaths where the deceased was infected with the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes
as that found in some cold meat cuts made by the company, regardless of their official cause of death. The new dying toll is thus chiefly due to
reattribution of previously multitudinous deaths, as Dr Mark Raizenne, the Public Health Agency of Canada's film director general of food-borne diseases
told the press, reported the New York Times. Raizenne aforementioned there are another 29 suspected cases to review and the count will probably rise
again.
The situation presents a growing crisis for Maple Leaf foods and the family that controls it, said the Times. The company operates 24 factories in
Canada.
In a video recording posted on YouTube over the weekend, president and chief executive of Maple Leaf, Michael McCain, verbalised deep understanding for the
illness and loss of life that has been linked to the company's products:
"Words cannot begin to state our sorrow for your pain," said McCain.
A entreat release posted on the company internet site at the same time said that as a precautionary measuring rod, it was voluntarily expanding its recall of
products made at the Toronto factory, ecesis number 97B, based at Bartor Road.
Maple Leaf reported that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Public Health Agency of Canada probe concluded that:
"The strain of Listeria bacterium, which is linked to the illness and death of several consumers, matches the Listeria strain identified in some Maple Leaf
food products in two cases."
McCain said:
"If there is any query in the consumers' mind about any product from that engraft, then the onus is on us, and the CFIA, to act decisively and fleetly to reestablish consumer confidence."
"From our viewpoint this is the right thing to do. Our actions ar guided by putting public health first base," added McCain.
The company aforementioned that so far it has been told that only iI production lines (numbers 8 and 9) have well-tried positive for Listeria, and there is no
grounds of contamination beyond these lines. But they distinct as a precaution to recall century per centime of the product made at this factory.
A full list of the products in the recall can buoy be viewed at the company's website at www.mapleleaf.com.
According to the New York Times many food companies are mazed about which Maple Leaf products are safe and have stopped up using whatever
products from them all in all. Others have got said they are non planning to drop Maple Leaf as a provider. Several call in radio shows on Ontario stations interviewed
people world Health Organization said they were throwing out all the kernel in their refrigerators and freezers and many were not purchasing replacements, "at least not ones
armorial bearing Maple Leaf's brand" said the Times report.
Plants and vegetables behind become polluted with Listeria from the soil, water supply and fertilizers that role manure as a bag. Even manifestly healthy farm
animals can carry the bacterium and contaminate creature foods such as meat and dairy farm produce.
Listeria is different to other food-borne pathogens because it can survive in the refrigerator. Also, foods contaminated with Listeria can buoy look, smell
and tasting normal, although it tooshie be killed by following correct solid food hygiene and cooking procedures.
Symptoms of listeriosis, which commonly occur 24 hours after consumption of heavily contaminated food, include vomiting, nausea, cramps, looseness,
severe cephalalgia, constipation and persistent fever. In some cases, the symptoms tin can be followed up to 70 days later by meningitis phrenitis (an
infection of the brain or its circumferent tissues) and/or septicemia (blood poisoning), either of which can be fatal.
The malady can be treated efficaciously with antiobiotics.
Click here to learn more about
Listeria and Listeriosis (Health Canada).
Sources: New York Times, Maple Leaf foods, Health Canada.
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
More info
