Yellow fever
Listeria Outbreak: What To Know And How To Protect Yourself
CNN —
A deadly outbreak of listeria in 11 states has been linked to dozens of dairy products, including popular Super Bowl snacks queso fresco and Cotija cheese, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced. But what can you do reduce your risk of becoming infected?
Listeria is a hardy germ, so determined to stick around that it can continue to grow while refrigerated, which even fellow bacterial villains salmonella and E. Coli cannot do.
In the United States, listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness, killing about 260 a year, according to the CDC.
"Even with adequate antibiotic treatment, the disease has a high mortality rate" of 20% to 30%, the US Food and Drug Administration said.
Adults and children with healthy immune systems may simply develop a mild or unpleasant illness that will not require hospitalization or antibiotics. However, anyone immunocompromised, such as older adults, organ transplant patents, those with cancer or kidney disease, diabetes or people with HIV/AIDS, can become seriously ill and die.
Pregnant people are about 10 times more likely to become sick from listeria, and the illness can be fatal to the fetus. Pregnant Hispanics are at highest risk, likely due to eating traditional soft cheeses such as queso fresco and other foods made with milk that is unpasteurized, the FDA said. Foods made with raw milk are 50 to 160 times more likely to contain listeria, the agency said.
The CDC said it is aware of 26 people from 11 states who have been infected with the current outbreak strain of listeria between June 2014 and December 2023. The two deaths associated with the infections were reported in California and Texas.
Recent interviews with sick people and facility screenings led the CDC to identify queso fresco and Cotija cheese made by Rizo-López Foods as the source of the illnesses.
Deli meat and hot dogs were a common source of listeria outbreaks in the 1990s, according to the CDC, likely because of the difficulty in cleaning the resistant bacteria from every nook and cranny in deli food preparation devices.
However, listeria outbreaks have been linked to cantaloupe, celery, ice cream, leafy greens such as spinach, soft cheeses and sprouts, the agency said.
Keep the kitchen clean: Clean your refrigerator regularly with hot water and liquid soap. Prepare meats and vegetables separately and be sure to sanitize food preparation areas, the CDC said.
Keep the fridge cool: Because listeria can easily grow in cool temperatures, keep your refrigerator at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) or lower. The freezer should be at zero Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) or lower.
Raw milk: Eating foods made from raw milk is "one of the riskiest" ways to become infected with listeria and other harmful germs, the CDC said.
Soft cheese: If you are pregnant or at high risk, don't eat soft cheeses, "such as queso fresco, queso blanco, panela (queso panela), brie, Camembert, blue-veined, or feta, unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk," the CDC said.
However, know that some soft cheeses have been contaminated during cheese making, the agency said.
Sprouts: You can't just rinse bacteria off alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean or any type of sprout, the CDC said. High-risk individuals should not eat raw or even lightly cooked sprouts. Always thoroughly heat sprouts first — even homegrown versions can harbor bacteria, the CDC said. When eating out, be sure to ask that no raw spouts be added to your food.
Leafy greens: Certain leafy greens such as kale, spinach, lettuces and wild rocket grow lower to the ground and are more likely to become contaminated by listeria in the soil. Always thoroughly wash any greens to be safe, the CDC said. Use these steps:
• Wash up for 20 seconds with soapy water both before and after handling any leafy greens.• Don't soak greens in the sink — that just spreads any bacteria on one leaf to all the leaves.• Remove any torn, bruised or outer leaves.• Under running water, scrub each leaf gently and then dry the leaves with a clean cloth.
Melons: Melons are another source of listeria infection. Eat cut melon right away and throw away any unrefrigerated for four or more hours, the CDC said. Refrigerate cut melons at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) or colder for no more than seven days.
Deli meats and hot dogs: If you are pregnant or at high risk, don't eat cold cuts such as bologna, hot dogs, lunch meats, fermented or dry sausages or any other deli meats unless they are heated to steaming hot (165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius) just before serving, the agency said.
"Do not eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads from a deli or meat counter or from the refrigerated section of a store," the CDC said. "Meat spreads and pâté that do not need refrigeration before opening, such as products in cans, jars, or sealed pouches, are a safer choice. Refrigerate these foods after opening."
Anyone eating these foods at home should be careful not to allow juice from hot dog and lunch meat packages to get on other foods or food preparation surfaces, plates and utensils. Always carefully wash your hands after touching any type of hot dog, lunch or deli meat, the agency said.
Be aware of how long you store such foods in your home. Factory-sealed unopened packages of hot dogs, lunch and deli meats should be thrown away after two weeks in the fridge, the CDC said. Toss opened packages of deli meats or any sliced by a deli after three to five days, and hot dogs after one week.
Cold smoked fish: Don't eat cold smoked fish "unless it is canned or shelf-stable or it is in a cooked dish, such as a casserole" if you are at high risk, the CDC said.
Shelf-stable foods, such as canned tuna, sardines and salmon, will not increase the risk of listeria. But not all canned foods are shelf-stable, the CDC said.
"Some canned foods are labeled 'Keep Refrigerated.' Examples of such items include cold smoked fish, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, and mackerel," the CDC said. "Cold smoked fish items are often labeled as 'nova-style,' 'lox,' 'kippered,' 'smoked,' or 'jerky' and typically found at seafood or deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens."
This story has been updated from 2022. CNN's Mira Cheng contributed to the revised version.
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Amid Florida Measles Outbreak, Surgeon General Lets Parents Decide Whether To Send Unvaccinated Kids To School
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By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided. Having trouble? Click here.Amid measles outbreaks in various parts of the U.S., the Florida surgeon general has issued some guidance to parents regarding kids' school attendance.
In a letter issued to parents on Friday, Dr. Joseph Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) "is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance."
The letter comes in response to a cluster of measles cases identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida.
MEASLES VIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD AS WHO SAYS MORE THAN HALF THE WORLD HAS HIGH RISK OF CONTRACTING THE VIRUS
Typical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is for unvaccinated children who have not had the measles to stay home for up to 21 days in the event of a potential exposure at school.
"However, due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance," Ladapo's letter stated.
A cluster of measles cases has been identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida. (iStock)
"This recommendation may change as epidemiological investigations continue."
People who have had the full series of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization or who have had a prior infection are 98% protected against the highly contagious virus, the doctor noted.
MEASLES OUTBREAKS IN US, UK HAVE HEALTH AGENCIES ON HIGH ALERT: 'BE VIGILANT'
Those who do not have immunity have a 90% chance of contracting measles.
"If someone in your household contracts measles, all members of the household should consider themselves exposed and monitor symptoms," Ladapo stated in the letter.
The doctor did recommend that students with symptoms should stay home from school.
Amid measles outbreaks in various parts of the U.S., Florida surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo has issued guidance to parents regarding kids' school attendance. He also said, "This recommendation may change as epidemiological investigations continue." (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images via AP)
Common signs and symptoms of measles include a rash on the face, neck and body; high fever; cough; runny nose; and red, watery eyes.
"All children presenting with symptoms of illness should not attend school until symptoms have fully subsided without medication," Ladapo advised.
On the Florida Department of Health's website, two doses of the MMR vaccine are listed among the vaccine requirements for children entering, attending or transferring to public and non-public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Typical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for unvaccinated children who have not had measles to stay home for up to 21 days in the event of a potential exposure at school. (iStock)
Torey Alston, a former Broward County commissioner and a current District 2 school board member, reacted to Ladapo's guidance in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"We continue to work with all partners, including the state and the local health department," he said. "I appreciate the leadership and support by the surgeon general and welcome all resources to help our parents and children. The safety and academic success of our children remains the No. 1 priority."
"If someone in your household contracts measles, all members of the household should consider themselves exposed and monitor symptoms."
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the FDOH letter but offered his reaction to the guidance.
"The measles vaccine is almost 100% effective at preventing spread, especially if two shots are given," he told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Friday.
On the Florida Department of Health's website, two doses of the MMR vaccine are listed among the vaccine requirements for children entering, attending or transferring to public and non-public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. (iStock)
"At a time when there's a resurgence of measles in the world and travel is not restricted, and people are coming into this country with measles, it's extremely important that our children be vaccinated against it."
The current measles outbreak is a time when "individual choice has to give way to public health and community preservation or safety," Siegel said.
While some public health officials may have been "mistaken" about drawing that line with the COVID pandemic, that doesn't automatically mean that it applies to every virus and vaccine, the doctor noted.
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"The problem here is that if kids start going to school unvaccinated against measles, given how contagious it is and how effective the vaccine is, they are putting other children at risk," Siegel said.
Referring to measles as "the most contagious respiratory virus on the planet," Siegel warned that an unvaccinated person has at least a 90% chance of catching the illness if they enter a room where measles was present up to two hours prior.
Common signs and symptoms of measles include a rash on the face, neck and body; high fever; cough; runny nose; and red, watery eyes. (iStock )
The doctor also warned of the severity of the disease, noting that one in five people with measles ends up in the hospital.
These dangers can be offset by the vaccine, Siegel said.
"This is a great vaccine — extremely important, very safe, tested for decades, and [it] prevents the spread of a dangerous virus that's resurging right now."
Siegel also said he disagrees with Ladapo's guidance to not require unvaccinated children to stay at home.
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, also reviewed Ladapo's guidance.
He said he disagrees with it as well.
"Measles is not COVID-19," Osborn said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "In fact, measles is one of the leading vaccine-preventable causes of death."
"While it is always the parents' choice whether to vaccinate their children, decisions should be based on scientific fact."
"Measles has been well-controlled by national vaccination campaigns, and we have walled off the disease, in essence, as we have polio."
The doctor noted that "time-tested" vaccines — such as the MMR, oral polio and DTP — have low complication rates, "unlike the COVID vaccine."
"The more people that are vaccinated, the greater the chances of acquiring a state of herd immunity," Osborn said. "The fact that there has been an outbreak in an elementary school in Weston strongly suggests a lack of herd immunity."
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"Sending unvaccinated children to school amid an outbreak — and inside of the transmissible period — is reckless," he also said.
"While it is always the parents' choice whether to vaccinate their children, and whether or not to expose them to the virus directly, decisions should be based on scientific fact."
Dr. Marc Siegel, left, and Dr. Brett Osborn, right, offered their reactions to the Florida surgeon general's guidance. (Dr. Marc Siegel; Dr. Brett Osborn)
Osborn hypothesized that the COVID pandemic may have contributed to overall vaccine reluctance.
"Unfortunately, as of the past several years — due to induced vaccine fear, the byproduct of a failed COVID-19 vaccine — vaccination rates generally have decreased," Osborn said. "The result? Viral outbreaks. And measles won't be the last."
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As of Friday, there have been 35 measles cases reported in U.S. States, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, according to the CDC.
Fox News Digital reached out to Dr. Ladapo, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Education, and Attendance Works (a San Francisco-based national initiative that advocates for improved school attendance) requesting comment.
For more Health articles, visit www.Foxnews.Com/health.
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