Eighteen people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from nine states since July 5, 2015. The number of ill people reported from each state is as follows: Connecticut (1), Indiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (4), Missouri (2), New Jersey (1), New York (5), Ohio (2), and Pennsylvania (1).
Ill people range in age from 3 years to 83, and the median age is 66. Seventy-two percent of ill people are female. All 18 ill people were hospitalized, including one person from Michigan who died as a result of Listeria. One of the illnesses reported was in a pregnant woman.
Currently, there are also 11 cases of Listeria in five Canadian provinces related to this outbreak. The number of ill people reported from each province is as follows: Ontario (7), Quebec (1), New Brunswick (1), Prince Edward Island (1), and Newfoundland and Labrador (1).
The majority of Canadians cases (55%) are female, with an average age of 79 years. All cases have been hospitalized, and three people have died.
Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicate that packaged salads produced at the Dole processing facility in Springfield, Ohio and sold under various brand names are the likely source of this outbreak.