Listeria

Q: What is Listeria?

A: Listeria is a bacterium resistant to soil and water that can be worn by animals. It is often found in processed meats, because it can contaminate a processing facility and remain there for a long time. It is also common in the unpasteurized cheeses and unpasteurized milk. It is less common in the products cantaloupe, but there was an outbreak of Listeria in some other fruits and vegetables in recent years. When a person contracts the disease can cause fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms and even death. One in five people who could die listeria.

Q: Am I in danger?

A: Listeria usually only affects the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and infants whose mothers are infected before birth. The median age of the victims of this epidemic is 78 years. Healthy adults, youth and most children in general, listeria can be consumed without side effects or mild disease.

Q: So you can eat melon?

A: You should avoid Cantaloupes Jensen Farms, producer of Colorado, which distributes the contaminated fruit.

Q: How do I know if I have a Jensen Farms Melon?

A: The recalled cantaloupe can be labeled "Colorado Grown", "Produce Distributed by Frontera", "Jensenfarms.com" or it can also be labeled "Sweet Rocky Ford." "American." Not all cantaloupes recalled are labeled with a label, the Food and Drug Administration said, so it can be hard to say. Neither the government nor Farms Jensen published a list of dealers who sold fruit, so health officials advise consumers to ask retailers about the origin of their cantaloupes.

Q: I think I could have one of the contaminated cantaloupes in my house. But I'm not sure. What should I do?

: The Government's motto is "When in doubt, throw it away." And if you believe it was tainted fruit of your home, clean, clean surfaces can be touched.

Q: I scrub all my fruits and vegetables before eating them. So I'm fine, right?

: Abrasion never a bad idea, but can not get rid of all the contaminants in the production, especially melon with a thick, rough skin with plenty of places to hide from pathogens. The health officials that people may have been disgusted when people cut their melons, the interior door Listeria fruit. If you suspect that contaminated cantaloupe at home, the best way is to throw it away.

Q: It sounds like cantaloupes are not even sent to my state. Should I be worried?

A: The FDA said Jensen Farms sent to 25 states, but it may have been sold in other states. The disease was discovered in several states where the cantaloupes were sent, including in Maryland, where one person died.

Q: Why are there so many deaths have been?

R: Listeria is less known than other pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli, which causes disease in many contaminated foods each year. However, Listeria is deadly. One in five people who contract it can die.

Question: When this epidemic to be over?

FDA and CDC officials said Wednesday they expect the number of illnesses and even deaths to rise up in October. Listeria has an incubation period of a month or more, people who ate contaminated fruit last week, can not see illness until next month.