Deadly listeria outbreak spreading

Across 18 states, 13 people are dead and 72 ill as a result of a listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes. Federal health officials confirmed the numbers on Tuesday.

ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - The Centers for Disease Control is concerned that the outbreak may continue to spread as officials scramble to recall the tainted fruits. State officials in Wyoming and Kansas are investigating what may be two additional deaths related to the disease. 

The last major outbreak of listeria was in 1998 when an outbreak infecting hot dogs and deli meats killed 21 people.

The source of the contaminated fruit seems to be Jensen Farms of Holly, Colorado. Most of the victims have been elderly.

Listeria is a bacteria that can survive both in the body and in the refrigerator. It comes from contaminated soil, water, or sewage. For most people, it simply manifests itself as a severe infection, but for people in high-risk categories, such as the elderly, it can prove deadly. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths. The bacteria itself is relatively common.

The strain of bacteria that has made so many sick has been found on equipment at Jensen Farms. The contaminated fruits were shipped from July 29 through September 10 to, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.

So far the deaths have been reported throughout the mid-west with cases in, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and Texas. The current outbreak ranks as the third deadliest in history. 

The CDC estimates that food-related sickness is common with 48 million people getting sick every year. Of that number, about 128,000 are hospitalized and as many as 3,000 deaths occur. 

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