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TENILLE TELLMAN
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A resident of the Palliser Health Region
was one of two people in the province to die from listeriosis,
Alberta Health and Wellness confirmed Tuesday.
For a list of recalled items visit www.inspection.gc.ca.
The province released a status report on
cases of listeriosis and outlined steps being taken to determine
whether the cases are linked to a national recall of Maple Leaf
meat products. Six cases have been confirmed in the province since
June 1 and two more occurred before the defined time of the
outbreak.
Two of the six cases in question have been
tested and found to have no connection to the outbreak. The results
on the Palliser Health Region resident who died in July have not
been released yet.
“This was an elderly gentleman with
an underlying medical condition,” said Dr. Paul Schnee,
Medical Officer of Health for the Palliser Health Region.
“We don’t know whether his
listeriosis was linked with the outbreak or not. We haven’t
received the tests back on that person.”
There are a number of strains of listeria
monocytogenes and those tested must not have been linked to the
strain involved in the outbreak, he explained. The disease can be
contracted through the environment from soil, water and
animals.
On Monday the province announced that
further investigations regarding the recalls will see public health
inspectors in all health regions working closely with the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Local inspectors have contacted
facilities where there are high-risk individuals – including
long-term care facilities, hospitals and large child-care centres
– to inform them about the recalls.
“The inspectors are simply informing
them of what products are on the recall list and of course advising
them to withdraw those products,” said Schnee.
The second priority for inspectors is
high-volume restaurants. Sites have been visited in person to
ensure the businesses are informed.
Schnee’s role is to keep physicians
fully informed and to provide updated information about the
disease.
Symptoms of Listeriosis include fever,
headache and stiff neck. It is most likely to affect individuals
with weakened immune systems such as infants and elderly people.
The incubation period is three to 70 days, and averages at three
weeks.
“It’s always scary when you
hear about these things, but like any other disease, fundamentally,
if your immune system is working well, most people fight these
diseases off and nothing much happens,” said Schnee.
“A healthy, normal person has very
little to worry about,” unless they are experiencing the
symptoms, says Schnee. If they are, they should seek medical
attention.
The symptoms are particularly concerning
for pregnant women, Schnee added. A mother may not experience
severe symptoms of Listeriosis, but the disease can have a huge
impact on her unborn child.
The other Listeriosis-related death in the
province involved a patient in the Peace Country health region.
Test results for the two deceased and two other cases are
pending.
As many as 12 Canadian deaths may be a
result of meat contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria,
federal officials revealed Monday.
The Maple Leaf recall, which began with a
couple of brands more than a week ago, now extends to everything
from the company's Bartor Road plant in Toronto - more than 200
products.
For more information on Listeriosis, visit
www.health.alberta.ca, or call HealthLink Alberta toll-free
1-866-408-LINK (5465).
For a full list of products that have been
recalled visit
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2008/list97be.shtml
–With files from the Canadian
Press |
