The CDC and FDA have updated their investigation of the now deadly El Abuelito Listeria outbreak. As of March 1, 2021, eleven people in four states are sick. Ten people have been hospitalized, and one person who lived in Maryland has died. You can read the outbreak notice, which has not been updated with this new information, in Spanish here.
The patient case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Maryland (4), New York (4), and Virginia (2). The new patient lives in Virginia. The patient age range is from less than one year to 75. Ten of the patients are Hispanic, and six are female.
On February 28, 2021, El Abuelito Cheese Inc. recalled Quesillo and Requeson cheeses in addition to the previously recalled queso fresco cheeses that were made at the same facility. The queso fresco brand names are El Abuelito, Rio Grande, and Rio Lindo with sell by dates through March 28, 2021. The five pound version of these products may have been repackaged by stores and sold under a different brand name or without a label.
The Quesillo has sell by dates through April 16, 2021. The brand names include El Abuelito, El Viejito, El Paisano, El Sabrosito, La Cima, Quesos Finos, San Carlos, and Ideal. Many of these products were sold in bulk, in 5 to 14 pound bags and may also have been repacked by stores and sold without a brand label or with a different brand name.
The Requeson, or ricotta, has sell by dates through March 14, 2021. The brand names are El Abuelito and El Viejito and they were sold in 12 ounce clamshell containers.
Check with your store or deli counter to make sure that any queso fresco or quesillo cheese you may have at home is not supplied by the recalled brands. If they do not know the supplier, do not buy it, or if you have purchased it, throw it away.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with food poisoning, you can contact attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Noted food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who has represented clients sickened with listeriosis in lawsuits, said, “While we are happy that officials have identified one brand of cheese in this deadly outbreak, we hope that the case count will stop increasing. No one should get sick or die just because they purchased cheese from a supermarket.”
The true number of people sickened in an outbreak is almost always higher than the official case count. Some people recover without medical care and are never tested. This outbreak may continue to grow, as it can take months for symptoms to appear and it can take up to a month for a diagnosis.
Of the eight people interviewed in this outbreak, seven said they ate Hispanic-style soft and fresh cheeses before they got sick. Of those seven people, six said they ate queso fresco, and two reported El Abuelito brand and one reported Rio Grande brand. The state of Connecticut found the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of El Abuelito queso fresco cheese obtained from a store where a patient shopped.
If you have eaten any of the recalled products and have been sick with the symptoms of listeriosis, see your doctor because you may be part of this deadly El Abuelito Listeria outbreak. Those symptoms include a high fever, stiff neck, severe headache, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle aches. Pregnant women may have what they believe is the flu, but listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious infection in the newborn.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Listeria monocytogenes infection after eating recalled El Abuelito cheeses, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
