Federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has to date sickened six people in four states, including two fatalities since Sep. 2016.
The breakdown of cases by state are as follows: New York (3), Connecticut (1), Florida (1) and Vermont (1). All six people were hospitalized, and two people from Connecticut and Vermont died. One illness was reported in a newborn.
Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicate that soft raw milk cheese made by Vulto Creamery of Walton, New York, is the likely source of this outbreak.
State and local health departments interviewed ill people or their family members about the foods they may have eaten or other exposures in the month before their illness started. Six (100%) of six people reported eating a soft cheese. The ill resident of Florida reported traveling to New York State and eating soft cheese there before becoming ill.
The outbreak strain of Listeria was identified in samples taken from three intact wheels of Ouleout cheese collected from Vulto Creamery.
On Tuesday, Vulto Creamery recalled all lots of Ouleout, Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses.
The soft raw milk cheeses were distributed nationwide, with most being sold at retail locations in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, California, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.
CDC recommends that consumers do not eat, restaurants do not serve, and retailers do not sell recalled soft raw milk cheeses made by Vulto Creamery.
