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The Centers for Disease Control and Food & Drug Administration is investigating a Listeria outbreak that has affected individuals in several states. Although the investigation is ongoing, the outbreak is thought to be linked to ‘Spanish cheeses’ such as ‘queso fresco’.
There is no cheese brand or types of cheese identified as the source, but the investigation is into queso fresco, queso blanco and queso panela. Seven people were hospitalized with Listeria symptoms in Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Virginia.
A general rule of thumb from the FDA is to make sure your fresh and soft cheeses, such as queso fresco, are made with pasteurized milk, and say so on the label and packaging. By pasteurizing milk, the Listeria bacteria are killed, although pasteurized milk products can still be contaminated if there are unhygienic conditions in a factory.
Listeria is a bacterium that causes adverse health consequences such as nausea, fatigue, body aches, headaches and fever. Communities at higher risk for damage by the Listeria bacterium are those who are 65 years or older and people who are pregnant. The FDA advises individuals in one of the groups not to use fresh and soft Spanish-style cheeses while continuing to determine the exact product and brand responsible for the outbreak of multistate.
The last illness noticed was on Jan. 22 and Maryland saw the most hospitalizations associated with the outbreak, with four out of the recorded seven people living in the state. The FDA will continue to provide related information on their website.
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