Listeria menyerang.. awas wanita hamil.

Cantaloupes Recalled After Listeria Outbreak

Published September 15, 2011

| The Wall Street Journal

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A Colorado farm is recalling the cantaloupes it sold this summer out of concern they may be contaminated with listeria, a deadly bacteria.

Jensen Farms of Holly, Colo., said Wednesday the recall is "prudent" because "Colorado has stated...that people at a high risk for infection should not eat whole cantaloupe from the Rocky Ford growing region." The recall covers cantaloupes sold between July 29 and Sept. 10.

Neither the Food And Drug Administration or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed that cantaloupes at Jensen Farms were the source of the listeriosis outbreak that has sickened and killed consumers in several states.

Officials at Jensen Farms weren't available for immediate comment.

Eleven illnesses in Colorado, one in Indiana, one in Nebraska, one in Oklahoma and two in Texas are linked to the listeriosis outbreak and contaminated cantaloupes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 11 illnesses in Colorado include one death, said CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell.

The outbreak may be bigger than that, though. New Mexico state officials say they believe several illnesses and deaths there are due to cantaloupes contaminated with the same listeria bacteria behind the multistate outbreak, but CDC and FDA officials say those claims haven't been confirmed yet.

Jensen Farms said it shipped the recalled cantaloupes to Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Listeriosis usually causes fever, muscle aches and diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems, according to the CDC. It can be fatal among high-risk groups of people, such as the elderly, those with compromised immune systems or chronic medical conditions like cancer. Listeriosis can causemiscarriage, stillbirth and serious illness or death in newborn babies.

Listeria adalah penyakit yang disebabkan makanan yang tercemar sejenis kuman yang bernama listeria monocytogenes ia terdapat di dalam tanah dan daging mentah, Listeria kebiasaannya tidak memudaratkan kepada orang biasa yang sihat tetapi boleh mengancam wanita hamil, bayi baru lahir dan warga tua yang sistem ketahanan tubuh mereka mula melemah. Listeria jarang terjadi tetapi ia sering mencatat kematian yang tinggi apabila menyerang dalam waktu 3 hingga 70 hari.

Serangan kuman listeriosis dimulai dengan mencemari darah hingga menyebabkan pembengkakan selaput otak dan keguguran kepada wanita hamil, gejala lain adalah demam, sakit otot, mual, cirit- birit hingga bolehmenyebabkan pengidapnya pengsan lebih bahaya jika ianya melibatkan sistem saraf menjadikan pesakitnya hilang keseimbangan dan sawan yang biasanya 1/3 pengidap akan meninggal dunia. wanita hamil yang paling mudah terdedah kerana menyebabkan kelahiran pramatang, infeksi kepada bayi dan keguguranListeria terdapat di seluruh dunia dan biasanya dibawa oleh binatang, daging mentah, susu tidak dipasteur, buahan, sayuran. Penyebaran kuman ini sering dikaitkan dengan susu mentah, keju, salad dan sayur- sayuran yang tidak dibersih dengan baik.

Untuk mengelak daripada kuman merbahaya ini amalan membersih makanan dan mencuci tangan sebelum dan selepas makan adalah paling berkesan.