Listeria strain linked to six hospitalizations and three deaths





News Release - English [ [link removed] ]




*For immediate release:* August 18, 2023                            (23-114)

*Contact:* DOH Communications <[email protected]>

*"Listeria" bacteria found in milkshakes sold at Frugals restaurant in Tacoma*" "

" Listeria strain linked to six hospitalizations and three deaths "

________________________________________________________________________



Visit the DOH Newsroom [ [link removed] ] for all news releases. 
Subscribe to get news releases in Spanish [ [link removed] ]. You will continue to receive the English version.
Washington State Department of Health [ [link removed] ] is your source for a healthy dose of information. 

*OLYMPIA* – "Listeria" bacteria found in all milkshake flavors sold at Frugals restaurant at 10727 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma, WA, are associated with a foodborne listeriosis outbreak [ [link removed] ] linked to six hospitalizations and three deaths. Investigators found "Listeria" in the ice cream machines, which were not cleaned correctly. No other Frugals restaurants are believed to be affected. The restaurant stopped using its ice cream machines Aug. 8, but "Listeria" can sicken people up to 70 days later. 

Most people who eat food contaminated with "Listeria" will not get seriously sick, but people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, and those with weakened immune systems should call their health care provider if they ate a Frugals’ Tacoma milkshake between May 29 and Aug. 7, 2023 _and_ have "Listeria" symptoms [ [link removed] ] (listed below). "Listeria" can be treated with antibiotics.

Genetic fingerprinting of bacteria in the milkshakes shows it’s the same strain of "Listeria" [ [link removed] ] that hospitalized six people between Feb. 27 and July 22 (five people in Pierce County and one person in Thurston County). All six people had conditions that made their immune systems less able to fight disease. Three of the six people hospitalized died. Two people who were hospitalized, but did not die, said they ate Frugals’ Tacoma milkshakes before getting sick.

"Listeria" symptoms:


* People who are not pregnant usually have a fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
* Those who are pregnant usually have a fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.

More "Listeria" information is available on the Washington State Department of Health’s Listeriosis webpage [ [link removed] ] and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s "Listeria" website [ [link removed] ].

The DOH website [ [link removed] ] is your source for "a healthy dose of information". Find us on Facebook [ [link removed] ] and follow us on Twitter [ [link removed] ]. Sign up for the DOH blog, Public Health Connection [ [link removed] ].  

[ [link removed] ]###







________________________________________________________________________

[ [link removed] ]   [ [link removed] ]     [ [link removed] ]      [ [link removed] ]    [ [link removed] ]    [ [link removed] ]

To request this document in another format, call 1-800-525-0127. Deaf or hard of hearing customers, please call 711 (Washington Relay) or email [email protected]

Manage [ [link removed] ] S [ [link removed] ]ubscriptions [ [link removed] ]*  | * Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ]*  | * Help [ [link removed] ]

DOH logo [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Washington State Department of Health · 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]