(ATLANTA) — A listeria outbreak that caused one death in Illinois and sickened at least 23 other people has been linked to a Florida ice cream brand, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC advises consumers to discard Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream they have at home. It also recommends cleaning any containers, utensils and areas that may have touched a Big Olaf ice cream product.
The brand is only sold in Florida but the outbreak spread across 10 states.
The CDC is advising retailers to remove Big Olaf ice cream products from shelves and notes that the Sarasota-based company is “voluntarily contacting retail locations to recommend against selling their ice cream products until further notice.”
Listeriosis is an infection typically caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium “Listeria monocytogenes,” the CDC states on its site. When the bacteria spreads beyond the gut to other parts of the body, it can cause severe illness.
Symptoms can start as early as the same day or up to 70 days after eating the contaminated food.
The CDC says listeria typically affects pregnant women, newborns, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. It is rare for people in other groups to get the illness.
Symptoms vary based on the person and the part of the body affected – including fatigue, muscle aches, fever and more.
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