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Health officials have warned that the number of cases tied to a deadly nationwide listeriosis outbreak is likely to rise due to the disease's long incubation period.
The outbreak has already led to the recall of 220 Maple Leaf products and the shutdown of the firm's Toronto plant as a precautionary measure.
More products, including ready-made sandwiches from Calgary-based distributor Lucerne, were pulled from shelves Monday in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
As the outbreak and recalls expand, many Canadians are looking closely at the food in their fridges and thinking twice about food safety.
Linda Corso R.N., B.Sc.N., M.A. (Food Safety Network)
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What do you want to know about food-borne disease? What questions do you have about food preparation, safety and the current recalls?
Linda Corso, a registered nurse with the Food Safety Network at University of Guelph, joined us online Tuesday to answer your questions.
Your questions and Ms. Corso's answers appear below.
Linda Corso is a registered nurse in the province of Ontario. She holds a bachelor of science in nursing and a graduate degree with a focus on adult education. She has worked in public health nursing, teaching, administration, clinical research and a small business providing evidence-based information for the health sector.
The Food Safety Network provides research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues from "farm-to-fork." The FSN is a national repository of food safety related information, providing an extensive number of services including consumer and student outreach, information research, on-line resources, collaborative projects, evaluation and analysis. It is funded through a combination of public, private and foundation sources.
The FSN runs a bilingual information centre that answers questions via a toll-free information (1-866-503-7638) and e-mail address. For more information, visit the Network's website.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Brodie Fenlon, globeandmail.com: Thank you so much for joining us online today Ms. Corso. We've had enormous interest in this discussion — dozens and dozens of questions — suggesting there's quite a hunger for information out there. We'll try to get to as many as we can.
J W from Toronto writes: I am six weeks pregnant. As all the experts advise, I have steered clear of lunch meats since I found out I was expecting a little over two weeks ago. However, given the long incubation period for listeriosis, how worried should I be about past consumption? Is there any way to test for it's presence, and is there any treatment if it is found? Kal Nair from Canada writes: Hello, My understanding is that listeriosis is a concern to women who are currently pregnant. However, given that it has an incubation period for 90 days, should women who find out they are pregnant now or in the couple of months, or those trying to get pregnant, get themselves tested. If so, is this just a blood test that can be done through one's doctor. Thanks.
Linda Corso: There is no routine screening test for listeriosis during pregnancy, as there is for rubella and some other congenital infections. If you have symptoms such as fever or stiff neck, consult your doctor. A blood or spinal fluid test (to cultivate the bacteria) will show if you have listeriosis. During pregnancy, a blood test is the most reliable way to find out if your symptoms are due to listeriosis.
Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. When infection occurs during pregnancy, antibiotics are given promptly to the pregnant women and can often prevent infection of the fetus or newborn. Babies with listeriosis receive the same antibiotics as adults, although a combination of antibiotics is often used until physicians are certain of the diagnosis. There is no vaccine to prevent listeriosis.
If you have symptoms (for example, diarrhea, fever, headache, sore neck) and/or are worried, consult your health care provider.
