Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak: Control, Intervention, and Remediation That Occurred

Control, Intervention, and Remediation of Listeriosis Outbreak
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Control, Intervention, and Remediation of Listeriosis Outbreak
Root Causes of Listeriosis Outbreak
In 2011, a listeriosis outbreak occurred in the United States of America (USA). Over 30 individuals died, and more than 147 people were infected by this deadly foodborne illness whose root cause was contaminated whole cantaloupes from Jensen Farm in Colorado. The bacteria that causes listeriosis is known as Listeria monocytogenes. The contamination of whole cantaloupes is said to have taken place during packaging at Jensen Farms. These fruits were shipped to different states, including New Mexico, South Dakota, Kansas, Illinois, California, Montana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Tennessee, and Colorado. Some individuals who ate the contaminated cantaloupes became sick, and others, especially the vulnerable population, such as older adults and those with weakened immune system died.
Listeriosis Control
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) alerted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about a possible listeriosis outbreak in September 2011 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). During this time, there were 7 cases of individuals in Colorado affected by the foodborne illness. Without wasting time, the CDC began interviewing people with listeriosis to determine the possible causes of the disease. As time passed, other cases of listeriosis were identified in other states. The CDC identified that all individuals with listeriosis had eaten whole cantaloupes from Jensen Farm. As such, to control this foodborne disease, the CDC notified the public through appropriate channels to stop eating whole cantaloupes until further notice.
Intervention
The two primary healthcare organizations that significantly contributed to the intervention of listeriosis are the CDC and CDPHE. For instance, once CDPHE identified 7 cases of listeriosis it immediately notified the CDC (Cosgrove et al., 2011). In that light, the infected patients were interviewed to determine what they had eaten or been exposed to in common. Interviews revealed that these individuals had eaten whole cantaloupes from Jensen Farm. Since cantaloupes were the only cause of the foodborne disease identified by the CDC, an intervention was done by warning people from eating these fruits, shipping of cantaloupes was stopped, and retail stores and groceries were ordered to remove these fruits from the shelves. Moreover, effective communication to appropriate channels was done to notify the public against eating contaminated cantaloupes. The infected patients were assisted to prevent death.
Remediation
The listeriosis outbreak was remedied by stopping the consumption of contaminated whole cantaloupes from Jensen Farm. The CDC took samples of cantaloupes from the farm and those that were shipped to other states. Thorough tests were done to identify whether these fruits had Listeria monocytogenes (Nyarko et al., 2018). Once the outcomes were positive, Jensen Farm was prohibited from shipping these fruits. In addition, the cantaloupes already shipped, and those in retail stores were recalled. The public was warned about eating cantaloupes citing the possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytoge...