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Two people have died from listeria infections linked to the recall of a series of popular plant-based drinks.
Both of the victims were in Ontario, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in a public notice on Wednesday.
There have been 12 lab-confirmed cases of listeria illness connected with the products, with 10 in Ontario and one apiece in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
The recall concerns Silk and Great Value drinks made with oats, coconuts, almonds and cashews.
Health officials in BC told NowMedia last week that they were “monitoring reports of illness carefully,” but no lab-confirmed cases have been identified in the province.
Photo credit: CFIA
PHAC said that, among the confirmed cases, people became sick between August 2023 and July 2024.
Nine people have been hospitalized.
Most of the people affected have been female (67 per cent), PHAC said.
The agency added: “More recent illnesses may continue to be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. For this outbreak, the illness reporting period is between nine and 35 days.”
A spokeswoman for the BC Centre for Disease Control previously told NowMedia that anyone who thinks they could be ill after consuming one of the products should get in touch with their health care provider.
"Pregnant people, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of more severe illness," she added. "Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics."
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned consumers that food contaminated with listeria “may not look or smell spoiled.”
“Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness,” it explained, adding: “In severe cases of illness, people may die.”
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