11.01.17 – (LAA/LUS) – Listeria Discovered at LAX Catering Facility
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Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Listeria Discovered at LAX Catering Facility
APFA was informed last night by the Company that Listeria, the bacterium that causes a serious form of food poisoning called Listeriosis, was discovered at the Gate Gourmet catering facility at LAX.
Although there are currently no known, or reported cases of listeriosis attributed to Gate Gourmet’s catering, there will be no further catering of AA flights from this facility continuing for at least a week. Gate Gourmet will still be providing some services such as the removal of trash as well as the provisioning of wet ice, drinks and some snacks.
Management is currently developing an emergency contingency plan to provide some form of food on flights leaving LAX. Reservations will be reaching out to passengers traveling from LAX, and contingency plans are being considered to place passengers on other airlines that do not use Gate Gourmet’s services.
If you are traveling out of or through LAX, please keep an eye on your HI6/CBS messages and Company emails for the latest updates. If you suspect that you are experiencing Listeriosis, consult with a medical professional immediately.
The APFA Health and IOD Departments remain available to assist any Flight Attendants with questions about this health threat. The symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, and sometimes nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur. But infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness.
Symptoms may begin a few days after you’ve eaten contaminated food, but it may take as long as 30 days or more before the first signs and symptoms of infection begin.
Treatment of listeria infection varies, depending on the severity of the signs and symptoms. Most people with mild symptoms require no treatment. More-serious infections can be treated with antibiotics. During pregnancy, prompt antibiotic treatment may help keep the infection from affecting the baby.
APFA national and local leadership will continue to work with members and management to get concerns addressed and provide support to those affected.
Kim Coats Tuck
APFA National Health Chair
health[at]www.apfa.org
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