Probe into the Listeria Outbreak in Colorado Farm
These days there is a hot topic burning in the house of representatives. The lawmakers out there are planning to investigate into the outbreak of Listeria that caused a deadly food poisoning in the cantaloupes that grew in a melon farm in Colorado. Nearly 123 people are severely ill and 25 people have been killed because of the food poisoning caused by the cantaloupes. The farm has recalled all of its fruits after the event. All the jumbo cantaloupes supplied by the farms to Colorado, Nebraska, Aztec and Farmington, South Dakota and Wyoming between 30th Aug and 6th Sept. have been recalled.
Ryan and Eric Jensen who own the farm in Colorado have been written to by the bipartisan group of lawmakers who are on the House of Energy and Commerce Committee. The Jensen Farm owners have been asked by them to preserve any document related to the outbreak of listeria and to brief the committee about the case. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told in the reports that the unhygienic and unsanitary conditions of the packaging area of the farms has led to this unfortunate outbreak. On Friday the committee of Lawmakers in a letter to the FDA and the Centre FOR Disease Control and Prevention has asked to tell them what all can be done to prevent any further similar outbreaks.
Earlier it was a frequent issue when Listeria monocytogenes caused recalls of food in the U.S. which consisted mainly of processed cheese and meats. But this time it has been found in fresh agricultural products which is a new development. More than 300000 cases were shipped by the company to various parts of the U.S. but all of them have been recalled as a precaution. Moreover, the retailers have also removed the fruits from the shelves as a precautionary measure.
The people with high level of risk against this disease comprise of pregnant women, elder people or any one else who’s immune system has weakened. The symptoms of being affected by this disease are mainly high fever, aches in muscles. In some cases, these can be preceded by Diarrhea and other problems related to the gastric tract. The most threatening feature of the disease is that it has a very long incubation period. It can be the case that the victim shows no signs of the symptoms even after two months from the day of consuming the Listeria contaminated food items.
