Two people have already died while several others are hospitalized after eating cheese infected with listeria. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now investigating an outbreak of listeria after eating cheese manufactured by Vulto Creamery headquartered in Walton, New York. The deaths were both from the state of Connecticut while a number of hospitalized cases were from Vermont. A cheese product recall has been started by Vulto to avert the situation.

The culprit is cheese described as soft raw milk cheese which was recalled on March 7, Fox News reported. Vulto has already recalled its products namely Oulet, Mirand, Heinennellie and Wilowemec soft wash-rind raw milk cheese after results for listeria turned positive. These results were compared to cheese remnants collected from the homes of victims and have identified that these were cheeses made by Vulto and were also infected with listeria. Vulto continued a cheese product recall on March 8 from nine of its outlets found in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Maine.

Listeriosis could be deadly and is caused by ingesting contaminated food, CNN reported. It is particularly serious for pregnant women, in very young children, the elderly and in people who have weak immune systems. People who have eaten listeria-infested food just like cheese products that are part of the recall, can expect symptoms to appear within a few days to a few weeks. Those who are healthy can expect high fever, stiffness, nausea, headaches, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

In pregnant women, listeria could cause miscarriage, stillbirth, serious complications for the newborn and even premature birth or death. The CDC advises anyone who experiences any of the mentioned symptoms should see their doctor immediately. The first case of listeria due to ingesting cheese products were in September 2016. Investigations were not immediately done until January 2017 when the sixth case was reported.

The CDC said that victims of the cheese products consist of five females and one male with ages ranging from 1 to 89 years old. Everyone is advised not to purchase or eat cheese made by Vulto Creamery. Restaurants and retailers are also advised not to use this brand of cheeses. Investigations are still being done and updates will be provided said the CDC.

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