Another victim of the Jensen Farms cantaloupe Listeria outbreak has died. The outbreak, which occurred in the summer and fall of 2011, sickened 146 people, caused one miscarriage, and killed 32.
The 31st victim, 92-year-old Paul Schwarz of Kansas City, died on December 18, 2011. The latest victim is Sharon Jones, age 62, from Castle Rock, Colorado. Ms. Jones was suffering from stage IV breast cancer. People who have chronic diseases and lowered immune response are much more vulnerable to foodborne illness.
The Jensen Farms outbreak was the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in almost 100 years in the United States. The CDC declared the outbreak over in December 2011, although the victims continue to feel the effects of listeriosis.
An investigation by the FDA found that several factors played a part in the outbreak, including old equipment that was hard to clean, water standing on the floor of the packing shed, removal of chlorine from the wash water, and failure to pre-cool the fruit.
