2 die from listeriosis in Massachusetts

[Guest guest]

Two senior citizens reportedly died during the past six months as the

result of listeriosis contracted from pasteurized milk! So where

are the health alerts from the FDA and Massachusetts Department of

Agriculture...? :-)

Sincerely,

Don Neeper

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LISTERIOSIS_DEATHS?SITE=FLDAY & SECTION=HOME & TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

2 die from listeriosis in Massachusetts

Dec 28, 9:41 AM EST

BOSTON (AP) -- State health officials warned consumers not to drink milk

produced by a Massachusetts dairy, saying it was the likely source of a

bacterial illness that killed two men and sickened two others.

Whittier Farms suspended operations and distribution, said Dr. Alfred

De, the state director of communicable disease control. Most of its

customers live in Worcester County.

The Department of Public Health issued the warning Thursday after

identifying four cases of listeriosis. Two of the victims, a 78-year-old

man and a 75-year-old man, died in June and October.

Investigators have not identified the exact source of the contamination

in the production process, De said. But milk samples gathered last

week at one of the dairy's two retail stores tested positive for

listeria.

Testing showed that the bacteria causing the infections in the four

victims likely came from the same source.

Listeriosis is a kind of food poisoning that can be dangerous to the

elderly, newborns, pregnant women and people with chronic medical

conditions. Symptoms include fever, headache, stiffness, nausea,

abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Officials at Whittier Farms did not immediately return calls Thursday

seeking comment.

The dairy has a processing plant in Shrewsbury and operates two retail

stores. A message left on an answering machine at the Sutton store said

it was closed and that information to date was " inconclusive. "

The message said the owners would be addressing the issue as soon as

possible.

Whittier Farms' milk products are sold under several brand names,

including Whittier, Schultz, Balance Rock, Spring Brook, and Maple, state

health officials said.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Don Neeper

Senior Software Engineer

SofTechnics, a METTLER TOLEDO Company

dneeper@...

don.neeper@...

http://www.OhioRawMilk.info/dneeper

[Guest guest]

Saw this on GMA but they skimmed over it so fast I almost missed it. Wondered what the story was.

Liz

To: rawdairy ; ohiowapf From: dneeper@...Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:44:11 -0500Subject: 2 die from listeriosis in Massachusetts

Two senior citizens reportedly died during the past six months as the result of listeriosis contracted from pasteurized milk! So where are the health alerts from the FDA and Massachusetts Department of Agriculture...? :-)Sincerely,Don Neeper

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LISTERIOSIS_DEATHS?SITE=FLDAY & SECTION=HOME & TEMPLATE=DEFAULT 2 die from listeriosis in Massachusetts Dec 28, 9:41 AM ESTBOSTON (AP) -- State health officials warned consumers not to drink milk produced by a Massachusetts dairy, saying it was the likely source of a bacterial illness that killed two men and sickened two others.Whittier Farms suspended operations and distribution, said Dr. Alfred De, the state director of communicable disease control. Most of its customers live in Worcester County.The Department of Public Health issued the warning Thursday after identifying four cases of listeriosis. Two of the victims, a 78-year-old man and a 75-year-old man, died in June and October.Investigators have not identified the exact source of the contamination in the production process, De said. But milk samples gathered last week at one of the dairy's two retail stores tested positive for listeria.Testing showed that the bacteria causing the infections in the four victims likely came from the same source.Listeriosis is a kind of food poisoning that can be dangerous to the elderly, newborns, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions. Symptoms include fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.Officials at Whittier Farms did not immediately return calls Thursday seeking comment.The dairy has a processing plant in Shrewsbury and operates two retail stores. A message left on an answering machine at the Sutton store said it was closed and that information to date was "inconclusive." The message said the owners would be addressing the issue as soon as possible.Whittier Farms' milk products are sold under several brand names, including Whittier, Schultz, Balance Rock, Spring Brook, and Maple, state health officials said.© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Don NeeperSenior Software EngineerSofTechnics, a METTLER TOLEDO Companydneepergmaildon.neepersoftechnicshttp://www.OhioRawMilk.info/dneeper

i’m is proud to present Cause Effect, a series about real people making a difference. Learn more