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Washington state health officials said Friday that three people died and two were hospitalized in the Puget Sound area after contracting foodborne listeria infections in what appeared to be an outbreak.
Tests indicated the five patients, three men and two women, fell ill between February 27 and June 30 and likely had the same source of infection, officials said, although an investigation has yet to identify a common food source.
Each infected person was in their 60s or 60s and had weakened immune systems, officials said.
Four of the cases were in Pierce County and one in Thurston County.
THE Washington State Department of Health said it was working with “local health jurisdictions to gather information from interviews with patients and their families to help identify any common exposures.”
While the origin of the cases is still unclear, officials said the bacteria is commonly found in unheated cheeses and deli meats, unpasteurized dairy products and pre-made deli salads, such as potato or tuna salads.
Officials added that the microorganism will die at temperatures above 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last year, an outbreak of listeria in several states was linked to contaminated meats and cheeses. Other recent outbreaks have been caused by contaminated store-bought products ice And leafy greens.
Listeriosis, a disease caused by the bacterium listeria, is the greatest threat to the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.
Listeriosis usually manifests within two weeks of eating contaminated food and can cause flu-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In pregnant women, severe cases can lead to miscarriage and other complications.
Washington state sees 10 to 25 cases of infection every year, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
From 2009 to 2021, the latest year for which data is available, the state recorded 18 listeria outbreaks which resulted in 238 hospitalizations and 47 deaths, according to the CDC
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