Alberta confirms 1st cases of listeriosis with links to outbreak

Health officials in Alberta on Saturday confirmed two cases of listeriosis, including one death, linked to a national recall of Maple Leaf meat products.

The death involved a woman in Peace Country Health Region in the province's northwest, Alberta Health and Wellness said in a news release Saturday. The unnamed woman was in her 30s and had other health problems.

Another person in Aspen Health Region, north of Edmonton, is ill with the food-borne illness.

A spokesman for the department said no other information about the two individuals would be released.

The woman died in mid-August, according to Dr. Gerry Predy, Alberta's acting chief medical officer of health. Predy said it was still unclear whether listeriosis was the direct cause of death or just a contributing factor

"Whether listeria was the actual cause or the underlying cause is very difficult to determine," he said.

Listeriosis has been the cause or a contributing factor in 10 deaths in B.C., Ontario, Saskatchewan, Quebec — and now Alberta — since news of the outbreak emerged two weeks ago, according to health officials.

A total of 31 cases across the country have been conclusively linked to the outbreak while an additional 32 suspected cases are still under investigation.

"We will very likely see more cases linked to the outbreak, given the time frames involved for symptoms to show up and testing to occur," said Predy.

The infection is of most concern to individuals who have weakened immune systems, the elderly, pregnant women and young children, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in newspaper advertisements published Saturday

Alberta has had nine cases of listeriosis since the beginning of this year.

Maple Leaf Foods launched a massive recall earlier this month of products processed at its Toronto plant. Several more products were added to the list of items Friday night.

Dr. Brian Evans, executive vice president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said while it may seem that the list of recalled products is growing, the additional recalls reflect the fact that several different products were made from the recalled meat.

"Many of our recalls relate to products such as sandwiches and pre-packaged meats carrying best-before dates that have now already expired," Evans said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

"Nevertheless, in the public interest and in the interest of openness, we feel it is important that such info is visible."