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Woman’s death linked to listeriosis

BY Leigh Blenkhorn August 27, 2008 15:08

The death of a Simcoe Muskoka resident in early August has been linked to the current outbreak of listeriosis.

The elderly woman, who resided in a retirement home, is this area’s only confirmed case of the illness this year, and one of six deaths in Ontario where the bacteria was the underlying or contributing cause of death.

“It was confirmed yesterday by genetic testing that this case is directly linked to the outbreak and the recalled meat products,” said Dr. Colin Lee, associate medical officer with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. “It is scientifically linked.”

Earlier this week, more than 220 meat products produced at a Maple Leaf plant in Toronto were voluntarily recalled after some products were found to contain the same strain of listeria bacteria that has caused death and illness in four Canadian provinces.

On Tuesday, four additional brands of pre-packaged sandwiches were added to the recall list.

The public is encouraged to check the list and avoid the named foods made at Toronto plant 97B. Anyone who may have consumed the recalled products should speak to their health care provider and mention their exposure.

“For those who are affected, it’s going to be a difficult few weeks,” Lee said.

There are currently 29 confirmed cases of listeriosis across Canada, with 22 of those cases in Ontario. Thirty suspected cases are still under investigation, including 16 in this province.

Officials are still investigating nine other deaths, six in Ontario, to determine if the bacteria was the cause of death.

Lee said there are currently no other cases of listeriosis in this area, but they are continuing to work closely with nursing homes, retirement homes and hospitals.

Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital is assuring the community that it has taken every precaution and removed all recalled meat items from its shelves.

“We had the public health officer here last week and, at that point, we took all the food made with suspect meat off the shelves and destroyed any of the recalled items to be safe,” said Suzanne Legue, senior director of corporate communications at RVH.

As for patients, Legue said the hospital serves other types of low-sodium meat products to all patients.

“It was never an issue with patients, but certainly we are monitoring the ongoing recall, particularly the ever-growing list of recalled products that could be linked to the outbreak,” she said.

Local long-term care and retirement homes have also reportedly destroyed all recalled meat items at their facilities.

On Tuesday, four separate class-action lawsuits naming more than 300 people were filed against Maple Leaf Foods.

For a full list of the recalled products, click the link provided, or call Maple Leaf Consumer Foods at 1-800-568-5801.

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