The current Listeria outbreak has been noted as the biggest food borne illness epidemic in over a decade. The infected cantaloupes have claimed at least 15 lives, and have been linked to over 84 illnesses. Now, Democrats are calling for a full investigation by Congress.
This outbreak marks the first time cantaloupe has been host to Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria typically grows in dark moist settings, not in open fields. Neither Jensen Farms nor the dozens of Food and Drug Administration investigators, who have inspected the farm since the outbreak, understand how the massive contamination occurred. Democrat Representatives Henry A. Waxman and Diana DeGette are calling for a full on investigation to determine the cause of the epidemic in order to prevent similar outbreaks. A congressional investigation would require Jensen Farms to supply reports concerning the Listeria outbreak, including all the allegations of contaminations from customers, when they first learned about the outbreak, and all the inspection reports from the past year.
Listeria is a particularly tenacious strain of bacteria that will not be killed by freezing or refrigeration and can stay in incubation for a couple months after you have contracted the bacteria. For healthy people, a Listeria infection generally exhibits symptoms similar to the common flu: fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. However for those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, young children, and pregnant women, a listeria infection can lead to pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, and even wrongful death.
American consumers are entitled to safe products, free from deadly contagions. When companies endanger the lives of consumers with unsafe products, they must be held accountable for their negligence or misconduct. The investigation called for by the democrats seek to set safety standards to protect Americans from future outbreaks, but a lawsuit can also help set legal precedents against negligent farming, careless irrigation of contaminated water, hazardous transportation conditions.
If you have been affected by the recent Listeria outbreak, and have suffered from a serious infection, you may want to consider contacting a lawyer. A professional food poisoning lawyer can help explain your legal rights and steps you can take to protect your right to compensation for the expenses your Listeria infection has incurred. If a loved one has died from Listeriosis after consuming a Rocky Ford cantaloupe, surviving relatives can pursue a wrongful death suit. A professional foodborne illness lawyer can help you recover full compensation for the damages caused by a Listeria infection.
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