B.C. health agency may ban deli meat in its facilities
28.08.2008 16:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
 Health officials say seniors, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems should see a doctor as soon as they experience symptoms of the food-borne illness, such as high fever, several headaches and nausea.(CBC)The Vancouver coastal health authority will consider banning deli meats in its hospitals, seniors' homes and care facilities because of the deadly listeria outbreak across the country, a spokesman said Wednesday. Vancouver Coastal Health officials are also inspecting its health-care facilities in Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Richmond to make sure no tainted meat is being served, Dr. John Carsley told CBC News in a telephone interview. Carsley said a change in policy to ban on all pre-packaged meats in its facilities would involve detailed discussions and would be difficult to achieve. "We're talking about products that are cooked. We could try to sterilize everything that we serve to everybody but nobody would want to eat it," he said. "We'll have to relook at that and the question of deli meats to see if we need to go further in terms of controlling those kind of products in health care facilities."  There are now 29 confirmed cases of listeriosis across Canada, raising concerns over eating deli meats, particularly for pregnant women and seniors with weak immune systems. (CBC)There were 29 confirmed cases of listeriosis across Canada as of Wednesday morning, including 15 deaths, linked to tainted Maple Leaf Foods products processed in a Toronto plant. Of the 15 deaths linked to listeriosis, most are in Ontario, but B.C., Saskatchewan and Quebec have had one death each. Most of the victims contracted the food-borne bacteria in hospitals or care homes where the tainted meat was served. Seniors, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems should see a doctor as soon as they experience symptoms, B.C. health officials have said. Symptoms include high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness, nausea and diarrhea. Carsley said no confirmed or suspected cases of listeriosis have been reported in the Vancouver coastal region. "We don't think we have any cases related to this particular outbreak, which is not surprising since Vancouver coastal hospitals didn't serve any of the contaminated products that were initially identified," he said. "Some of the larger expanded recall products had been distributed but we're not so concerned about that." More than 1,100 people have contacted the Regina-based Merchant Law Group, which launched a class-action lawsuit against Maple Leaf Foods in Ottawa on Monday. The lawsuit involves people who have suffered illness, death, mental distress or financial losses as a result of the tainted meat and recall, lawyer Tony Merchant told CBC News on Tuesday. The allegations have not been proven in court. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksYOUR STORY: Have you seen recalled meat on store shelves?Class action lawsuit launched over listeria outbreakHealth-care facilities' use of deli meats questionedRecalled meats pulled from B.C. Safeway stores: spokesmanIN DEPTH: Listeria FAQsIN DEPTH: Meat recall timelineExternal LinksCanadian Food Inspection Agency: Listeria investigation and recallCanadian Food Inspection Agency: Complete list of recalled meat products(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Health Headlines'Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale': reportPeople are dying early not only because of health gaps between rich and poor countries but also a lack of housing and clean water in wealthy countries like Canada, according to a report to the World Health Organization.U.S. salmonella outbreak appears over, pepper advisory liftedThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,440 people appears to be over.Ont. nuclear facility can meet isotope demand if needed: AECLAtomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ont., can meet the country's demand for medical isotopes if required. 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