Of the five deaths so far associated with the U.S. caramel apple Listeria outbreak, two in Minnesota and one in California were unquestionably caused by listeriosis, said officials in those states. In Texas, health authorities are unsure is listeriosis was the primary cause of death in one of that state’s four case patients. And in Missouri, the death of a caramel apple Listeria patient was unrelated to listeriosis, the state has noted.
With new developments unfolding quickly in this outbreak, the death toll could rise. The law firm of Pritzker Hageman is hearing from families affected by the outbreak and expect even more people to be confirmed as case patients. The initial caramel apple Listeria report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that 28 people from 10 states have been sickened and that 26 of those case patients were hospitalized.
The main message for now is for consumers not to eat any brand of pre-packaged, commercially made carmel apples, including those with toppings. If you or a loved one have experienced symptoms of listeriosis after eating a commercially made caramel apple, seek medical care. Investigators are scrambling to determine what products are contaminated. According to CDC records, the illnesses started in mid-October and continued through late November. Historical patterns suggest that one in every five people who are sickened in this outbreak will die.
Based on initial reports in the caramel apple outbreak, the traditional mortality rate fits. “Of the 26 ill persons for whom information is available, all have been hospitalized, and five deaths have been reported,” the CDC said. “Listeriosis contributed to at least four of these deaths.”
The first official announcement of the caramel apple Listeria outbreak came late in the week from the Minnesota Department of Health. The agency said four Minnesotans had been hospitalized with infections from the same type of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The patients ranged in age from 59 to 90 and two of them died.
California’s only confirmed case also died, health authorities in that state have confirmed. And in Texas, one of four people sickened in the caramel apple Listeria outbreak died. Christine Mann, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, told the Washington Post that it was unclear is listeriosis was the primary cause of the Texan’s death.
In Missouri, federal health officials agree that the death of a case patient in that state may have been unrelated to listeriosis. Missouri and New Mexico have each reported five confirmed illnesses attributed to the Listeria-in-caramel-apples outbreak.
