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Thursday 29 September 2011

Listeria outbreak may last for weeks, officials say: How stay safe

WASHINGTON,  -- The Washington, D.C. office of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Ogilvy Washington), an integrated global communications firm, announced today that it has been awarded a one year, six-figure contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide continued support for Dating Matters™, an initiative that promotes healthy relationships among youth in high-risk urban communities.
"This campaign will help further the CDC's mission to foster healthy dating relationships with the end goal of stopping dating violence before it begins," said Jennifer Wayman, executive vice president and group director of Ogilvy Washington's Social Marketing practice. "Teen dating violence continues to be a serious and complex issue that often starts at an early age, with implications that can last a lifetime. Research shows that 25 percent of teens report verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse from a dating partner annually. CDC's goal is to support the promotion of respectful, nonviolent dating relationships among youth, and Ogilvy Washington is proud to provide communications strategies to drive progress toward that end," she added.
The communications program will complement other Dating Matters™ program elements to bridge the gap between teens' knowledge of healthy relationship behaviors and practicing them. Initially, the campaign will be focused on and developed for four urban communities, with the intent of a national roll-out once this pilot program is evaluated and deemed effective.
"From our work with CDC's Choose Respect campaign, to our development of the Dating Matters™ initiative, Ogilvy Washington has partnered with the CDC to provide communities with tools that will encourage youth to develop habits that foster healthy relationships throughout their lives," said Robert Mathias, president of Ogilvy Washington. "We are excited to continue our participation in this program which will empower teens to act on what they know about healthy relationship behaviors and help them put this knowledge into practice," he added.


Consumers who have cantaloupes produced by Colorado's Jensen Farms should throw them out, the heads of the CDC and the FDA said. Not sure where a piece of fruit is from? Don't eat it.


The government hasn't supplied a list of retailers who may have sold the contaminated fruit. Nor has Jensen Farms. Officials say consumers should ask retailers about the origins of their cantaloupe.


"If it's not Jensen Farms, it's OK to eat," said Frieden. "But if you can't confirm it's not Jensen Farms, then it's best to throw it out."


Jensen Farms of Holly, Colo. says it shipped cantaloupes to 25 states, though the FDA has said it may be more. Illnesses have been discovered in several states that were not on the shipping list. A spokeswoman for Jensen Farms said the company's product is often sold and resold, so it's not always easy to tell where the cantaloupes wind up.


The recalled cantaloupes may be labeled "Colorado Grown," `'Distributed by Frontera Produce," `'Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords." Not all of the recalled cantaloupes have a sticker, the FDA said. The company said it shipped out more than 300,000 cases of cantaloupes that contained five to 15 melons. That means the recall involved 1.5 million to 4.5 million pieces of fruit.


The FDA said none of the cantaloupes had been exported.


Sherri McGarry, a senior adviser in the FDA's Office of Foods, said the agency is trying to figure out how the cantaloupes became contaminated. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.


The health officials said this is the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. Listeria is generally found in processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese, though there have been outbreaks in produce. Hamburg called the outbreak a "surprise."


Listeria is deadlier than well-known pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, though those outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses. Twenty-one people died in an outbreak of Listeria illness in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corp. Another large Listeria outbreak, in 1985, killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.


Listeria generally only sickens the elderly, pregnant women and others with poor immunity. The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 78 and that 1 in 5 who contract the disease can die from it. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms.


Unlike many pathogens, Listeria bacteria can grow at room temperatures and even refrigerator temperatures - and can linger long after the source of the contamination is gone. Health officials say people who may have had the contaminated fruit in their kitchens should clean and sanitize any surfaces it may have touched.

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