|
Unpasteurized Raw Cheese
Contaminated with Listeria Suspected in Baby Deaths in Washington
Source of Article: http://www.marlerblog.com/
According to the Spokane Newspaper, Washington State health investigators are still
attempting to solve several cases of food-borne infections that have caused
several pregnant women to lose their babies since January. They suspect the
women in Yakima,
Klickitat and King counties ate unpasteurized cheese that was contaminated
with listeria
bacteria. Listeria is often found
in soft cheeses such as Mexican-style queso fresco
and queso Blanco, along with feta, brie, camembert,
Roquefort and bleu. The Yakima Public Health Department reported last week
that early laboratory results indicated that the listeria infections
came from a common source.
Pregnant women and their newborns are 20
times more likely than other healthy adults to be infected. People with
suppressed immune systems are also at risk of becoming seriously ill from listeria,
which can result in bloodstream infections or meningitis. They should avoid
foods such as raw milk and deli foods such as sandwich meats, salads and
vegetables.
We represented a young couple who lost
their baby due to unknowingly consuming unpasteurized cheese while in Canada a few
years ago, See, "Woman who lost her baby to sue over bad
cheese." There have been other reported cases in the past -
See, "Outbreak
of Listeriosis among Mexican Immigrants as a Result
of Consumption of Illicitly Produced Mexican-Style Cheese." Washington State University
has done some good work on trying to prevent these losses - See, "The
Abuela Project: A Community Based Food Safety
Intervention involving Queso Fresco, a Raw-Milk
Cheese."
Posted on March 7, 2009 by Listeria
Attorney
|
