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Alliston Herald
Contaminated meat may have been served at local camp

BY Carlye Malchuk Dash   September 03, 2008 10:09

The YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo (KWYMCA) has sent a letter to the parents of all campers at Camp Wabanaki on Lake Vernon in Huntsville informing them that their children may have been served sandwich meat containing the listeria bacteria.

The letter was sent by the senior general manager of outdoor services for KWYMCA after staff informed the organization that meat included in the nationwide Maple Leaf Foods recall was purchased and served by the camp.

“We sent the notice to anybody who was there at any point in the summer,” said James Howe, director of communications for KWYMCA. “We’re basically being proactive and cautioning parents (so they can) take whatever actions that they might think are appropriate.”

Camp Wabanaki is an overnight camp that offers one- or two-week sessions to campers.

Howe declined to provide any further information, such as which meats were purchased and when, saying only that camp staff bought the deli meats before it was known there was a risk.

“They bought it in good faith, just like everybody else,” he said. “The recalls are of a massive scale and some of (the meat served at the camp) was involved, so we’re just making sure that parents are aware,” he said.

The listeria bacterium, which is commonly found in the environment, was found in some meat products produced by Maple Leaf Foods. A nationwide recall is now in effect for hundreds of products made by the company.

As of press time, 11 deaths across the country have been directly linked to the recall and outbreak of listeriosis, a rare but severe illness caused by the ingestion of listeria.

One death in our area

One of the deaths occurred in the catchment area of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, but officials are not saying whether it was in the Muskoka region.

The elderly, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are at a greater risk of getting listeriosis.

Most people who ingest listeria, however, will not become ill, or may experience mild symptoms, such as nausea, fever, vomiting or diarrhea.

Symptoms of listeriosis can occur as many as 70 days after eating contaminated food.

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