Thursday, February 04, 1999
Area illnesses among bad meat's casualties
BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
At least three Tristate residents have been sickened, and deaths are still rising nationally since a recall of contaminated meat 11/2 months ago.
On Dec. 22, Sara Lee Corp.'s Bil Mar Foods recalled some of its hot dog and deli meat products after it was linked to listeriosis cases.
Healthy people can usually fight off the bacterium with no more than flulike symptoms. But it can kill by causing meningitis or blood infections.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak has claimed 16 lives and has infected at least 72 people in 14 states. Ohio has had six deaths, the Ohio Department of Health reports.
“We are still very concerned,” Department of Health spokesman Randy Hertzer said.
Illnesses for the current outbreak date to Aug. 2. State health departments, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, linked the illnesses to a Michigan Bil Mar plant. Sara Lee recalled products bearing establishment numbers EST P261 and EST 6911.
At least three listeriosis illnesses were treated in Cincinnati-area hospitals, said Dr. Judith Rhodes, head of the microbiology lab for the Health Alliance, which includes the region's biggest hospitals. Officials at the Hamilton County coroner's office said there have been no related deaths locally.
There are likely contaminated products in freezers across the country, said Kenneth Moll, a Chicago attorney representing several people sickened by the meat. One of his clients is a Cincinnati man who has recovered.
Mr. Moll has filed a class-action suit seeking to collect for anyone who has eaten the tainted products. He has also filed a wrongful-death suit on behalf of the families of two victims.
On Tuesday, Mr. Moll filed a lawsuit saying he interviewed former Bil Mar employees who talked about unsanitary conditions at the plant and faulty cooking processes.
Sara Lee spokeswoman Theresa Herlevsen said Sara Lee is aggressive about good sanitation practices.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
PREVENTION TIPS
Listeriosis is a deadly infection caused by eating contaminated food. Nearly a fourth of all people infected die.
How to reduce risks:
• Cook thoroughly raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork or poultry.
• Wash raw vegetables thoroughly before eating.
• Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables, and away from cooked and ready-to-eat food.
• Avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk or food made from raw milk.
• Wash hands, knives and cutting boards after handling uncooked food.
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