MIAMI – The property of an Illinois lady who died earlier this yr from a listeria an infection filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday in opposition to a Florida ice cream firm that well being officers have linked to a multistate outbreak.
The lawsuit filed within the Middle District of Florida claims that Mary Billman died after consuming contaminated ice cream produced by Sarasota-based Big Olaf Creamery. According to the lawsuit, Billman ate at a Big Olaf location on January 18th throughout a go to to Florida. She grew to become ailing and died on January twenty ninth.
Big Olaf launched an announcement Sunday saying that the link between its ice cream and the listeria outbreak has not been confirmed and is just hypothesis at this level. The firm has been working with state and federal well being officers since being knowledgeable concerning the potential contamination, the assertion mentioned.
“We have been transparent and have answered all their questions and provided them with all the information requested from us, as the health and well being of the public is our first priority,” the Big Olaf Creamery assertion mentioned.
Big Olaf Creamery has voluntarily contacted retail areas to advocate in opposition to promoting their ice cream merchandise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentioned Saturday in a news launch. Consumers who’ve Big Olaf Creamery model ice cream at house ought to throw away any remaining product.
Listeria is a lethal micro organism that causes signs like fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. It will be handled with antibiotics, however it’s particularly harmful to pregnant ladies, newborns, the aged, and people with compromised immune methods.
CDC officers say practically all of the 23 individuals identified to have been contaminated within the outbreak both dwell in, or traveled to, Florida a couple of month earlier than they obtained sick. Interviews with 17 contaminated individuals discovered that 14 had reported consuming ice cream and 6 remembered consuming Big Olaf Creamery model ice cream or consuming ice cream at areas which may have been equipped by Big Olaf Creamery.
Big Olaf Creamery’s ice cream is produced at a central facility in Sarasota after which distributed to Big Olaf Creamery shops and different retailers.
Listeria is likely one of the most harmful types of meals poisoning. Symptoms normally begin one to 4 weeks after consuming contaminated meals, however can begin as quickly as the identical day. The first instances occurred in January of this yr, however have continued via June, when two of the individuals obtained sick, CDC officers mentioned.