Listeriosis report slams Public Health Agency

[CHIMO]

A damning report on a deadly source of food poisoning last summer that claimed 22 lives across Canada says the country's top medical officer of health was missing in action, forcing Maple Leaf Foods chief executive officer Michael McCain to jump into the void and become the public face of the crisis.

In a report released on Friday into the listeriosis outbreak linked to Maple Leaf meats, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health blames a lack of co-ordination among various levels of government for contributing to confusion among the public and shaking their confidence in the health system.

The report, released just before public hearings begin on Monday in Ottawa into food safety, singles out the Public Health Agency of Canada for not playing a leadership role in an outbreak that spread to seven provinces, leaving 56 mostly-elderly individuals sick and 21 dead. Ontario was hardest hit, with 16 of the deaths, and most of the victims were in long-term care homes or in hospitals before becoming ill.

However, Dr. David Williams refused to say during a news conference whether the lack of timely information to the public about the severity of the outbreak contributed to the number of fatalities.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090417.wlist0417/BNStory/National/home

Based on the cockroach rule we can expect to see more ramifications from this finding.