Listeria reported in shakes used in nursing homes, leading to hospitalizations and deaths
Frozen supplemental shakes sold to hospitals and long-term care facilities in 21 states are making people sick and already have led to 12 deaths.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration published an urgent warning instructing consumers to discard Prairie Farms Dairy's meal replacement shakes under the brands Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial. The shakes are believed to be contaminated with Listeria.
So far, 38 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported. Of the 38 people for whom information is available, 37 people have been hospitalized, and 12 have died. Of the 38 people, most resided in long-term care facilities or were hospitalized prior to becoming sick.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has conducted an onsite inspection of the Prarie Farms plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and collected environmental and product samples. Three environmental swabs collected from the processing area tested positive for a strain of Listeria related to the one causing illnesses in this outbreak.
The FDA says symptoms of Listeria usually start within two weeks after eating contaminated food but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after. Mild symptoms may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting and diarrhea. With the more serious form of Listeria, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
Consumers with questions may visit the Lyons Magnus website at lyonsmagnus.com.
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The rate at which COVID tests are coming back positive in Los Angeles County has slightly increased over the past few weeks, although the overall positive rate remains low, at 3.5%, according to the county Department of Public Health. Coronavirus levels detected in the county's wastewater have increased by 6% in the last three weeks, but also remain relatively low and are about one-eighth of the peak in the summer of last year. Although California experienced a mild winter season — a first of the COVID era — that followed a powerful summer spike that was the strongest in years. Many experts and officials have touted available COVID vaccines as effective both in warding off infection and in lessening the severity of symptoms. However, the need for otherwise healthy individuals to roll up their sleeves has been a matter of debate. 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Experts who spoke with The Times warned the practical effect of the edict — if it becomes official — could be far more costly vaccines for affected groups. 'If vaccines are not recommended by the CDC, insurance companies would NOT be required to cover the cost,' the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a statement. As a result, the vaccines may be less accessible to healthier people who still want them — perhaps because they live or work with elderly or other higher-risk people, they've had severe COVID illness before, or they want to protect themselves against the latest subvariant, the agency said. If the FDA withholds a license for an updated COVID vaccination for younger, healthier adults, this group 'would not be able to receive it unless their provider chooses to give it 'off label,'' the county said. 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That's in the same ballpark as the 231 pediatric flu deaths recorded this season, and federal health officials recommend everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu shot. 'Most people would agree that kids should be targeted for flu vaccines. It seems kind of weird to have COVID as an outlier in that respect,' Chin-Hong said. In the video published this week, Makary said that 'most countries in the world have stopped recommending the vaccine for children.' Maldonado, however, said the U.S. doesn't use other nations' standards to dictate vaccine recommendations. The U.S., for instance, recommends other types of vaccines that have a lower prevalence than COVID that people want to get, Maldonado said, such as the meningococcal vaccine for children to guard against a serious bacterial disease that can infect the brain and spinal cord and cause death within hours. The effect of a recommendation also varies by country. Canada, for instance, recommends updated COVID vaccines for seniors and other people who meet certain criteria, such as if they're pregnant or are a healthcare worker. But the country's universal healthcare system still allows everyone ages 6 months and older to get an updated COVID vaccine. Although it's true that children overall are at lower risk of developing severe COVID illness, those under 6 months of age 'have the same risk of complications as the 65-year-old-plus population in this country,' said Stanford's Maldonado, who also serves on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Among children eligible for vaccination, COVID-associated hospitalization rates are highest for those ages 6 months to 4 years, according to the CDC. 'So are children going to be the highest risk group? No, they're not. But would you want to protect your child from a disease that could potentially put them in the hospital and get them on a ventilator? Yes, I would say that I would want to make that choice for myself. And why not allow the parent to make that choice?' Maldonado said. The CDC says COVID vaccination during pregnancy builds antibodies that can help protect the baby; studies have also shown that vaccinated moms who breastfeed have protective antibodies in their milk, which could help protect their babies. There have been an estimated 260,000 to 430,000 hospitalizations attributed to COVID since October, causing 'an enormous burden on the healthcare system,' Dr. Fiona Havers, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC, said at a recent public meeting. There have also been an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 COVID-19 deaths over the same time period. 'It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in older adults, but it does affect other people, particularly those with underlying conditions, in younger age groups.' COVID is also a major cause of pediatric hospitalizations, even among otherwise healthy children, she said. 'If there's a summer wave this year, we'll be seeing it in children being hospitalized with COVID as well,' she said.
