CDC: Florida ice cream possible source of listeria outbreak

MIAMI – The property of an Illinois girl who died earlier this 12 months from a listeria an infection filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday towards a Florida ice cream firm that well being officers have related to a multistate outbreak.

The lawsuit filed within the Center District of Florida claims that Mary Billman died after consuming contaminated ice cream produced by Sarasota-based Huge Olaf Creamery. In accordance with the lawsuit, Billman ate at a Huge Olaf location on Jan. 18 throughout a go to to Florida. She turned in poor health and died Jan. 29.

On-line courtroom data did not listing an legal professional for Huge Olaf who may remark concerning the lawsuit. The corporate launched a press release Sunday saying that the hyperlink between its ice cream and the listeria outbreak has not been confirmed and is simply hypothesis at this level. The corporate has been working with state and federal well being officers since being knowledgeable concerning the doable contamination, the assertion mentioned.

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“We have now been clear and have answered all their questions and offered them with all the data requested from us, because the well being and nicely being of the general public is our first precedence,” the Huge Olaf Creamery assertion mentioned.

Huge Olaf Creamery has voluntarily contacted retail places to suggest towards promoting their ice cream merchandise, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned Saturday in a information launch. Customers who’ve Huge Olaf Creamery model ice cream at dwelling ought to throw away any remaining product, officers mentioned.

Listeria is a lethal micro organism that causes signs like fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. It may be handled with antibiotics, however it’s particularly harmful to pregnant girls, newborns, the aged and people with compromised immune techniques.

CDC officers say practically all of the 23 folks identified to have been contaminated within the outbreak both stay in, or traveled to, Florida a few month earlier than they acquired sick. Huge Olaf Creamery’s ice cream is produced at a central facility in Sarasota after which distributed to Huge Olaf Creamery shops and different retailers.

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Listeria is likely one of the most harmful types of meals poisoning. Signs often begin one to 4 weeks after consuming contaminated meals, however can begin as quickly as the identical day. The primary instances occurred in January of this 12 months, however have continued via June, when two of the folks acquired sick, CDC officers mentioned.