CDC warn of listeria outbreak in cheese sold at Whole Foods as 2 Americans die and 23 are hospitalized across 11 states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning Americans about a listeria outbreak linked to dairy products sold nationwide that has killed two people.

Investigators said contaminated cheese, cream and yogurt made by Rizo-Lopez Foods have been voluntarily recalled due to the potentially fatal infection, listeria.

The products are sold in several major supermarket chains, including Food City and Whole Foods.

The CDC says 26 Americans have fallen ill and 23 have been hospitalized in 11 states. Two deaths have been reported: one in California and one in Texas.

The agency is recalling 61 products, including cheese, yogurt and sour cream, sold under 13 brand names, including 365 Whole Foods Market and Food City.

The items in question were sold between June 2014 and December 2023.

Americans in 11 states fell ill and two died. The deaths occurred in California and Texas.

The agency urged people to throw away any affected products, clean the refrigerator and surfaces, and call a health care provider immediately if they experience any symptoms.

Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.

Data collected by the CDC asked people who were sick about the foods they had eaten within a month of getting sick, although not all patients were surveyed. The agency says it is still conducting interviews.

Of the 22 patients interviewed, 16 (73 percent) reported eating fresh cheese, cotija, or other similar cheeses.

The patients ranged in age from less than one year to 88 years, and the average age was 52 years.

About 58 percent of the sick were women and 42 percent were men.

The majority of those affected (71 percent) were white. Five percent were American Indian or Alaska Native, and 24 percent reported another race.

Additionally, 85 percent reported being Hispanic.

Among those who remembered specific brands, three who became ill between 2014 and 2022 reported the Don Francisco brand of cheese.

The CDC found that illnesses were reported between June 2014 and December 2023.

Cojita and fresh cheese were two of the products most commonly affected by the outbreak (file photo)

The agency also sampled DNA fingerprints from bacteria in a process known as whole genome sequencing (WGS).

WGS showed that bacteria in samples from sick patients were closely genetically related, suggesting that people affected by the outbreak became ill from the same foods.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted investigations at the Rizo-López facility and collected samples.

They found the outbreak strain of listeria in a container where cheeses are kept before being packaged.

Listeria is an infection usually caused by eating foods contaminated with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes.

Most people who eat foods contaminated with Listeria will not become seriously ill. But in some cases it can cause confusion and seizures, miscarriages in pregnant women, and even death.

This can happen when the infection spreads beyond the intestine and can affect the central nervous system, which can cause numbness and seizures.

The CDC estimates that 1,600 Americans become infected with listeria each year and about 260 die.