One of the deadliest food outbreaks may have just hit us. On Tuesday, health officials have reported that approximately 16 people in Colorado have died from the illness, listeria, which is commonly found in cantaloupes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said they there were a reported 72 illnesses and 13 deaths so far, with possibly 3 more to add to the number of deaths. Since Tuesday, more deaths have been reported in states of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Texas, Maryland, and Oklahoma. Listeria is said to be more dangerous than e-coli and salmonella, even though those two cause more illnesses. Listeria is known to have a dangerous effect on pregnant women, the elderly, and people who have already weakened immune systems. It is said that more and more people will be reported having this disease because it generally take 4 weeks for the symptoms to progress and worsen. Even if a person ate the food a few weeks ago, the disease could still show its effects several weeks later. The Food and Drug Administration went to several homes of the people who were infected with listeria. Traces of the disease were found in the cantaloupe they ate and in the grocery stores where they bought the cantaloupe.
My View:
This sudden breakout could cause a decrease in revenue for cantaloupe farmers, the stores that sell their cantaloupes, and any other companies that use cantaloupe in their products. People are going to be overwhelmed with the fear that any product with cantaloupe in it will have traces of the disease. Panic and hysteria of consumers is definitely going to have an effect on the profit of companies who make cantaloupe-based products.
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