CDC: 1 Dead In Michigan From Listeria Linked To Dole Salads

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Packaged salads produced at a Dole facility in Ohio are linked to one death in Michigan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that 12 people in six states have been hospitalized in the outbreak.

"Twelve of 12 people have been hospitalized and one person from Michigan died as a result of Listeria and one of these illnesses was reported in a pregnant woman," says CDC's Ian Williams. "Listeria can be a very serious infection."

The person who died was a Macomb County resident.

"As part of the investigation ... we determine what they ate and what food may have made them sick," adds Williams.

The 12 people are from six different states, and the ages of the affected range from 3 to 83-years old. Four of the 12 infected are from Michigan.

The packaged salads produced in this facility were sold under various brand names including:

• Dole
• Fresh Selections
• Simple Truth
• Marketside
• The Little Salad Bar
• President's Choice

The manufacturing code on the package starts with the letter "A." The CDC urges customers should not eat those bags and restaurants have been urged not to serve these salads.

Dole, meantime, has stopped all production at the Springfield, Ohio, plant and is withdrawing packaged salads on the market that were produced there, according to the CDC.

Listeria primarily affects the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborn infants. It can cause fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms and can be fatal. It also can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborn babies.

The agency says that the illnesses so far have been in Michigan, New York, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Those who have this salad in their homes should do the following:

• Throw the packaged salad away in a closed plastic bag placed in a sealed trash can. This will prevent people and animals from eating it.
• Wash the refrigerator drawer and other areas where the packaged salads were stored with hot water and soap.
• Wash cutting boards, surfaces, and utensils used to serve or store packaged salads. If possible, use a dishwasher; otherwise, use hot water and soap, followed by sanitizing with a solution of one tablespoon chlorine bleach added to one gallon of hot water.
• Wash your hands with warm water and soap after cleaning up.

Those who may have eaten the salad and exhibit symptoms should contact their doctor.

[Get more information from the CDC, HERE].