CDC warns of listeria outbreak in fruit after one person died and 10 are ... trends now
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is warning Americans of a listeria outbreak in fruit as one person has died and nearly a dozen others have been hospitalized after eating peaches, nectarines and plums contaminated with the bacteria.
Investigators said contaminated fresh whole fruits had been sold in retail stores nationwide from May 2023. They were from California-based HMC Farms, which says it specializes in growing peaches, nectarines, plums and grapes.
Americans are being urged to check their freezers for any fresh fruits they may have frozen and to throw these out immediately. If this is the case, they should also clean their freezers — in order to avoid infection.
The CDC said the fruits had been sold nationwide. Illnesses had only been reported in seven states, but they said it was likely there were also other cases that were missed
Among the fruits thought to have spread listeria were peaches sold by HMC Farms at retail stores across the US
The above shows the plums and peaches that may be contaminated with listeria
Listeria is a bacteria that can cause the illness listeriosis, which triggers symptoms including headaches, stiffness and diarrhea in healthy adults.
It is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and adults over 65 years old, who have weakened immune systems.
The CDC detected the contamination after interviewing patients about the foods they had consumed before their illness.
Samples from patients were also tested, which showed their listeria infections were a close genetic
