Sorry, Mr. “Verde” – Green, I really could use my Spanish in a Listeria outbreak that has sickened well over 200 and killed 3 – and, that number is likely to rise.

According to Google Translate, and therefore the Spanish Health Authorities:

On Friday, August 16, Public Health of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia notified the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare an outbreak of food poisoning by listeriosis in its Autonomous Community associated with the consumption of industrial meatloaf of the La Mechá brand prepared by a company located in the municipality of Seville.

The association between the product involved and the outbreak occurred on August 14 after the positive results for listeria in the analyzes carried out in the Autonomous Community in several processed meat products corresponding to different batches and that had consumed most of the cases identified.

The total number in the community is 196 cases related to the outbreak. Most of the cases have been registered in Seville (161), but they have been found in almost all the provinces of the Community: Cádiz (10), Granada (4), Huelva (17) and Málaga (4). 58% of cases are women, 31 of them in a state of gestation. 25% of cases are 65 years of age or older, with hardly any gender disparity (24 men and 25 women).

The clinic developed by the confirmed cases in Andalusia was distributed as follows: 58% presented symptoms compatible with acute gastroenteritis, 47% presented fever, 10% (19) developed meningeal forms and four patients presented septicemia. The average incubation period has been 3 days, shorter than usual. During the outbreak there have been three deaths, two people over 70 with serious co-morbidities and a person over 90 years. The investigation of the cause of death has not yet been closed.

Other communities are investigating cases associated with this outbreak. These cases may vary between different reports as possible duplicate cases are cleared that are reported in more than one community (e.g, diagnostic community and community of residence). In the rest of the Autonomous Communities, 4 laboratory confirmed cases (1 in Aragón, 1 in Castilla y León, 1 in Extremadura and 1 in Madrid) and 3 cases confirmed by epidemiological link (1 in Extremadura and 2 in Aragón) have been registered. In addition, 56 probable cases and 41 suspects have been reported in Aragón, Asturias, Canarias, Castilla y León, Castilla La Mancha, Cataluña, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Madrid and Melilla, many of them continue in research pending results.

The French authorities notified on August 23 through the EU Early Warning and Response System (EWRS), a confirmed case of listeriosis in an English citizen, diagnosed in France on August 16 and prior of consumption of a cold pork meat in Seville on August 13. The product was consumed by 4 more people during a meal in Seville and they all got sick. Although most of the product has been distributed in Andalusia, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has reported that a small part of the product was sold to distributors in other communities, but according to the latest information available, most of the product did not leave Andalusia or was returned to origin.

All the autonomous communities involved have reported that the products have already been immobilized and are pending destruction, and therefore are no longer for sale.According to the information received from AESAN, given the isolation of Listeria in the product involved on August 14, the food safety authorities of Andalusia made an inspection visit to the company’s facilities and agreed voluntary withdrawal by the company of all food produced since May 1 and the suspension of production.

On August 20, the food alert was extended to other baked meat products of the inspected company and on August 23 to all products produced by it. On August 24, AESAN informs that the shredded meat manufactured by Magrudis, S.L. It had also been marketed by the Martínez León Commercial Company, with poor labeling. All clients of the latter company are located in various municipalities of the province of Seville and both the Official Control Services of the Junta de Andalucía and the City of Seville have verified that the clients have been contacted and informed of the problem, and indeed not they commercialize the mentioned product.

Since the incubation period of the disease is long and the wide distribution of the product cannot rule out the occurrence of new cases in the coming days, even in people residing in other regions or countries, who have been able to consume the roasted meat during their Stay in the distribution areas. Nor can we rule out the appearance of new cases due to the consumption of products that may have final consumers in their homes, since the expiration date is approximately 3 months.

However, according to the information available, since Friday, August 23, there is a reduction in the number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the outbreak, a trend that remains until today. As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that people who have in their homes some meat products of the brand “La Mechá” refrain from consuming it and return it to the point of purchase.

If you have consumed it, if you have any symptoms, go to a health center. To avoid risks of cross contamination from contaminated products to others, it is important to ensure proper hygiene on surfaces and utensils that may come into contact with food. The Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, given the possibility of identifying cases of listeriosis in other countries, has made the necessary communications both to the Early Warning and Response System of the European Union and to the World Health Organization in the framework of the International Health Regulations. It is recalled that pregnant women and people with immune deficiencies, higher risk groups, should consume only perfectly cooked meats and pasteurized dairy products and heat leftovers. They should also avoid ready-to-eat prepared foods.

Listeria:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Listeria outbreaks. The Listeria lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Listeria and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $650 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Listeria lawyers have litigated Listeria cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as deli meat, cantaloupe, cheese, celery and milk.

If you or a family member became ill with a Listeria infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Listeria attorneys for a free case evaluation.