L.A. County Has 5 More Listeriosis Cases, 1 Fatal
Five more cases of listeriosis, including the death of a fetus, were reported on Monday by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
The newly reported cases bring to 127 the number of victims in the county this year who have contracted the disease; 42 have died. Statewide, including Monday’s figures, there have been 239 cases, including 81 deaths, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Two Los Angeles-area Mexican-style cheese producers have closed down and one of them is under criminal investigation after the discovery of listeriosis bacteria in some of its products.
The death reported Monday involved the fetus of a 33-year-old San Fernando Valley woman, who also contracted the disease. The other victims included three young Latino women and their newborn infants and a 36-year-old non-Latino man from East Los Angeles. Officials consider a mother and an infant as one case.
Dr. Shirley Fannin, associate director of the county’s communicable disease control programs, said, “We are sure that at least one (of Monday’s reported illnesses) isn’t associated with cheese.”
The other cases reported Monday, she added, have not been fully investigated.
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