A5

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

MONTREAL - One person is dead and 87 people have fallen ill from a salmonellosis outbreak that has struck in several regions of Quebec.

Provincial health officials have recalled three cheese products they suspect are the source of the outbreak.

The announcement comes only days after the province's Food and Agriculture Department recalled Quebec-made cheese that tested positive for Listeria, another potentially deadly bacteria.

In Ontario, there are eight confirmed deaths in a listeriosis outbreak linked to meat from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto.

Horacio Arruda of Quebec's public health department said Friday the listeriosis and salmonellosis outbreaks are not linked.

Arruda said that in one week this month there were as many salmonellosis cases reported in the province's Eastern Townships as there are in an average year.

He said about 40 per cent of those who contracted the bacteria were hospitalized for at least 24 hours to treat symptoms and dehydration.

"Fortunately, most people recover," Arruda told a news conference.

"The epidemic's curve appears to show that we have not yet reached the end of the outbreak because. . . there have still been recent cases."

He said about 1,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported each year in Quebec.

Arruda said the victim is an elderly person who lives in the Chaudiere-Appalaches region, south of Quebec City.

The Food and Agriculture Department, meanwhile, has issued recalls for cheese brands La Chaudiere, Polo and Tradition, which are suspected sources of the outbreak.

All three products are manufactured by Fromages La Chaudiere, which is based in Lac-Megantic, Que.

The tainted cheese was discovered by agriculture department inspectors at stores in the affected regions.

Food and Agriculture spokesman Guy Auclair said products made between July 24 and Aug. 24 have been recalled, but most of the tainted cheese was manufactured on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

He said inspectors have not found any traces of the bacteria at the Fromages La Chaudiere's production facilities.

Still, he said the tainted cheese was made from a water source that is no longer at the plant.

"It is reasonable to believe that these products could pose a threat to public health," he told reporters.

Auclair also said the Listeria recalls are not related to the Salmonella outbreak.

People who eat food contaminated by the Salmonella bacteria can contract salmonellosis.

The infection poses a greater risk to the elderly, young children and those with weakened immune systems.

The bacteria are found naturally in the environment and the intestines of animals, birds, and some humans.

Salmonellosis symptoms, which can include diarrhea, fever and vomiting, usually surface 24 to 72 hours after the consumption of contaminated food.

The health department is urging people to wash their hands thoroughly with soap, to refrigerate meat as soon as possible after purchase and to thaw meat in the refrigerator, especially chicken.

They are also asking the public to ensure meat is cooked all the way through and knives and cutting boards are washed after use.