According to a CDC report, an outbreak of the rare virus Listeria monocytogenes has been linked to the sale of Hispanic styled cheeses from Roos Foods. The company has already issued a voluntary recall of the cheeses.
The report states that the recalled cheeses include Cuajada En Terron, Cuajada/Cuajadita Cacera, Cuajada Fresca, Queso Fresca Round, and Queso Dura Viejo hard cheeses. The Roos Foods corporation markets or repackages these cheeses under the brands Mexicana, Amigo, and Santa Rosa De Lima. The CDC had determined the source of the listeria by tracking the food consumption of the infected, who all listed these brands of cheese as a food they had consumed in the past few days. The CDC then traced the infection back to a store which had repackaged the cheese, which then was traced back to Roos Foods.
Listeria is a rare and incredibly serious illness, which presents itself as a fever, and tends to attack those with already weakened immune systems. There have been 8 reported cases of the illness from this particular contamination, all people of Hispanic ethnicity. 7 of the cases were reported in Maryland, with 5 of them being tied to childbirth. Of those 5, 2 were new mothers, and 3 were newborn babies. There has been one case in California, which resulted in the death of the infected person.
People who have come in contact with the cheese should wash their hands, and all surfaces in which the cheese made contact. The disease can grow within refrigerator temperatures. The cheeses had been distributed in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Colombia.
If you feel you have been contaminated by the cheese, or are showing symptoms of listeria, you should contact a medical professional. Listeria is incredibly dangerous, and can be lethal. There is an ongoing investigation as to exactly which of these recalled cheeses were consumed by the infected.
