Eight Dead After Listeria Outbreak in Cantaloupes

by Emily Mapp Brannon ebrannon@hsinjurylaw.com

Emily is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

9/23/2011
Emily Mapp Brannon
Comments (0)

Eight Dead After Listeria Outbreak Linked Cantaloupes

A person has died in Maryland (MD) after eating tainted cantaloupe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. This is the eighth death linked to the melons traced to a Colorado (CO) farm. Fifty-five other people in 14 states, including Virginia (VA), have been confirmed as sickened. The CDC says the death toll could continue to rise, should more foods come in contact with the listeria. As of now, 300,000 cases of cantaloupes have been recalled.

The company responsible, Jensen Farms, say it's not sure how the outbreak started and has hired an independent food safety expert to determine the cause. Because listeria has a an incubation period of up to a month, listeria bacteria can grow at room temperature and refrigerator temperatures. The Food and Drug Administration recommends throwing out any potentially tainted cantaloupes.

Listeria outbreaks typically happen several times per year, but are more often linked to deli meats and cheeses. Most healthy adults can consume listeria with no negative effects, but elderly people and pregnant women are especially likely to become ill from it. The median age of those sickened in this outbreak is 78.

Listeria symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and other gastrointestinal problems.

If you have purchased any cantaloupe in the past few weeks, check the labels. The recalled cantaloupe may be labeled “Colorado Grown,” “Distributed by Frontera Produce,” “Jensenfarms.com,” or “Sweet Rocky Fords.” Be especially careful of produce consumption during this recall, because not all of the listeria-tainted cantaloupes are labeled.

CD

Category: Wrongful Death

Labels: cantaloupe CDC Colorado FDA listeria recalled products

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of another person or company.

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick, Jim and Randy have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law (Jim since '06, Rick since '10, and Randy since '12). This is a prestigious recognition that only 5 percent of lawyers receive.

We were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We also offer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you shortly.

Virginia injury lawyer

There are no comments.

Search Our Site

Get help Now!

Practice Areas

Eight Dead After Listeria Outbreak Linked Cantaloupes

Post a comment