Listeria Outbreak Worsens With Third Death In Ontario

August 22, 2008 7:09 p.m. EST

Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - Two more people have died from listeriosis in Ontario, raising to three the number of deaths from the food-borne listeria bacteria in Canada.

In a press conference Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed that a woman who lived in a retirement home in St. Catharines died in July from the bacterial infection and an elderly woman in Waterloo met the same fate. The first recorded listeriosis fatality was a woman from Hamilton.

The PHAC also said 16 listeriosis cases are being investigated in the province, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Quebec.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has yet to know if the nationwide outbreak was caused by listeria-tainted packaged meat of Maple Leaf Foods based in Toronto. The agency is still testing Maple Leaf products samples to determine if they are contaminated with the bacteria.

Maple Leaf recalled Sunday 23 packaged meat products, including sliced cooked turkey breast, roast beef and salami. The products were distributed to nursing homes, restaurants and deli counters across the country.

Listeriosis causes nausea, vomiting, cramps and fever. It is fatal to old people and those with weak immune system.