I was paralyzed after eating a turkey sandwich - what it's REALLY like to get sick with listeria

This week, dozens of frozen waffle brands were recalled owed to imaginable contamination pinch nan deadly germs listeria.

It marked nan eighth clip this period unsocial that American companies were forced to propulsion nutrient products from shelves because of germs that origin nutrient poisoning.

Experts pass nan problem pinch nutrient contamination is becoming worse arsenic nan manufacture grows and proviso chains go much complex.

For patients, nan infections tin beryllium life-changing.

Michael Silberman, 86, from Florida, contracted listeria earlier this twelvemonth which led to encephalon swelling, causing seizures so terrible doctors had to sedate him for weeks.

He is now only capable to move astir nan location pinch a walker, and can't drive, market shop, ablution aliases return attraction of his woman Barbara, who suffers from arthritis. 

He claims he caught nan bug aft eating a sandwich containing sliced turkey made by Boar's Head that was portion of a awesome callback linked to listeria.

Mr Silberman is suing nan nutrient giant, claiming nan nutrient led to a listeria infection that became meningitis, causing terrible encephalon damage..

His property makes him peculiarly susceptible to listeria, but truthful does being pregnant, taking immunosuppressant narcotics because they artifact nan body's expertise to conflict nan infection.

Mother-to-be April Bonham, from Texas, was told astatine her 36-week scan that her girl Olive was doing well.

But astatine nan scan nan ultrasound nan adjacent week, they were told their girl had nary heartbeat.

She was stillborn successful nan infirmary connected January 7, 2024, pinch her parents having nary thought what happened.

It was only aft tests came backmost that they learned her decease could person been caused by listeria.

Revealing her case, mother April said connected TikTok: 'I cannot accent really scary listeria is and really there's for illustration nary symptoms... for nan mom's carrying nan baby. I wasn't moreover sick.

'I'm trying to fig retired what I did wrong... I still blasted myself.'

She added: 'Delivering my babe astatine 37 weeks and 2 days lifeless, is going to haunt maine for nan remainder of my life.' 

She suffered fewer symptoms of listeria successful nan week beforehand, saying only that she became truthful exhausted that she slept 19 hours a time earlier nan 37-week scan.

The mother is not judge wherever she whitethorn person caught nan listeria, and said she steered clear of each deli meats, prepackaged meals and sushi among others passim her pregnancy. 

Ten deaths person been linked to nan listeria outbreak associated pinch Boar's Head meat and astatine slightest 59 others were hospitalized by precocious September.

The CDC notes that 'the existent number of sick group successful this outbreak is apt higher than nan number reported.'

People tin go infected pinch listeria from contaminated nutrient items, which whitethorn prime up nan germs from h2o that contains feces aliases improperly cleaned surfaces.

The germs tin past nan tummy acerb and recreation to nan intestine, from which they whitethorn migrate into nan bloodstream.

Most patient adults will commencement to consciousness sick wrong a mates of days of consuming contaminated food.

It usually starts pinch flu-like symptoms - a fever, musculus aches aliases nausea - earlier progressing to vomiting and diarrhea.

Some group statesman to consciousness sick weeks aliases months aft nan first infection.

This is because listeria tin spell dormant erstwhile faced pinch biology stress, specified arsenic successful h2o without nutrients aliases successful nan beingness of detergents.

In much terrible cases, listeria tin origin confusion, light-headedness, nonaccomplishment of equilibrium and moreover convulsions because it tin dispersed to nan cardinal tense strategy (CNS) and impact nan brain.

In nan astir terrible cases, listeria tin lead to meningitis, an inflammation of nan membranes covering nan encephalon and spinal cord aliases pus buildup successful nan brain.

These tin beryllium deadly. 

In his lawsuit, nan mates opportunity that Mr Silberman purchased nan turkey from their section Publix market shop connected July 15 this year, and ate it complete nan adjacent fewer days successful sandwiches.

Seven days later, however, he started to suffer from a precocious fever — and past aft different 2 days nan mates had to telephone emergency services.

Rescue workers who came to nan segment said he had tachypnea, aliases accelerated breathing, an 'altered intelligence state', and signs of sepsis.

He was rushed retired of his location successful Delray Beach connected a stretcher and taken to nan ER, wherever doctors quickly diagnosed him pinch a listeria infection.

He spent 2 weeks successful nan hospital, pinch healthcare unit treating his encephalon swelling, cognitive complications and kidney failure.

He was past discharged to a rehabilitation facility, wherever he had to walk different period moving to rebuild musculus wide that he had mislaid owed to nan sickness.

It was only later, that nan mates connected his sickness to nan turkey and nan Boar's Head recall.

Boar's Head announced its first callback of meats connected July 25 of its liverwurst, 10 days aft Mr Silberman purchased nan turkey meats.

The couple's attorney, Jason Cornell, told WPTV: 'He knowledgeable sepsis, meningitis encephalitis, very superior conditions — and he was hospitalized for a period and has nary recollection of that.

'He was thriving earlier this exposure, he was driving, exercising successful nan gym, lived successful nan house, lived independently... he can't do immoderate of that now.

'He has to locomotion pinch a walker, truthful we are very concerned for him and his expertise to attraction for his wife.'

Trevor Craig, a nutrient information master pinch Microbac Laboratories successful Pennsylvania, told DailyMail.com that nan US whitethorn beryllium signaling much larger outbreaks because proviso chains are now overmuch larger than before.

This leads to much steps successful nan processing and packaging of food, he said, which raises nan consequence of nan point being contaminated.

He besides said that regularisation authorities whitethorn now beryllium testing much products than before, which is triggering much recalls than previously.

Darin Detwiler, a user nutrient information advocate, agreed, but added that it whitethorn besides beryllium driven by a displacement successful user preferences towards much caller nutrient — raising nan consequence of contamination.

CDC statistic propose astir 1,600 group are hospitalized pinch listeria each year, mostly aged 65 years and older, and astir 260 dice from nan disease.

There are nary bully number connected nan number of cases and deaths per twelvemonth caused by listeria linked to nutrient poisoning.

But nan tally from this twelvemonth appears to beryllium nan highest since astatine slightest 2011, erstwhile 30 group died and 147 were hospitalized aft eating cantaloupe's contaminated pinch listeria sold by Jensen Farms successful Colorado.

Boar's Head recalled much than 7million pounds of nutrient and poultry aft nan listeria contamination was first detected successful July successful its liverwursts.

Since then, records person revealed that nan Virginia-based mill wherever nan nutrient was prepared was filthy, and contained mold, insects and had liquid dripping from nan ceiling.

The mates are conscionable nan latest to writer Boar's Head aft nan $1.2billion institution besides faced ineligible action from the family of a Holocaust survivor who died aft eating its liverwurst and a woman successful Missouri who fell 'deathly ill' from its meats.

It comes aft much than 10million pounds of nutrient made by a packaging institution and sold astatine stores including Trader Joe's, Walmart and successful children's lunchhalls were besides recalled this period complete listeria contamination fears.

A spokesperson for Publix, which is besides named successful nan lawsuit, said: 'It would beryllium independent for america to remark connected pending litigation.'

Boar's Head did not respond to DailyMail.com's petition for comment.

But a spokesperson for nan institution said previously: '[We] deeply regret nan effect this callback has had connected affected families. No words tin afloat definitive our sympathies and nan sincere and heavy wounded we consciousness for those who person suffered losses aliases endured illnesss.'

The past awesome callback was successful 2019, erstwhile Tyson Foods recalled 12million pounds of chickenhearted strips — but this was complete imaginable shards of metallic successful nan foods, alternatively than bacterial contamination. No deaths aliases injuries were reported.