The Blue Bell Creameries have recalled another series of its ice cream products due to an ongoing outbreak of a deadly disease.

Three people in Kansas have died because of an outbreak of Listeriosis. The outbreak was tracked to a hospital in Kansas that offered ice cream products from the Blue Bell Creameries. This is the second time Blue Bell has been linked to the spread of the Listeria organism. The hospital has quit serving all Blue Bell products, and the creamery has now recalled several of its products.

It should be noted that none of the products are sold in retail locations. They are only distributed to institutional settings, including hospitals, nursing homes and schools.

Blue Bell has recalled the following 3-ounce ice cream cups with pull tab lids:
*Ice Cream Cup Chocolate: No UPC – SKU #453
*Ice Cream Cup Strawberry: No UPC – SKU #452
*Ice Cream Cup Vanilla: No UPC – SKU #451

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment with assistance from the Kansas Department of Agriculture collected environmental samples from the kitchen area of the hospital affected by the listeriosis outbreak and collected containers from remaining Blue Bell ice cream products in the hospital. The hospital fully cooperated with the investigation. None of the environmental samples from the kitchen tested positive for Listeria. However, one sample taken from an unopened Blue Bell 3-ounce single serving ice cream cup tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria at the KDA Laboratory. That product was made at the Blue Bell Creameries facility in Broken Arrow, Okla., which was not part of the initial listeriosis investigation.

More information about the specific products recalled can be found on the Blue Bell website: http://cdn.bluebell.com/BB_withdrawal.

Officials say this is an ongoing investigation. Listeriosis primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems and Kansas health officials urge people in those groups not to consume any Blue Bell products until more details are known.

Symptoms of Listeria include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Symptoms begin from three to 70 days after consuming the bacteria. Listeria cannot be spread from person to person.

The hospital affected by the Listeria outbreak stopped serving all Blue Bell products at the direction of KDHE on March 9.

On March 13, KDHE announced five people in Kansas had become ill due to an outbreak of Listeria associated with Blue Bell Creameries products. Three of those people later died and Listeria was a contributing factor to death.

Anyone who believes they may have become ill with listeriosis should contact their health care provider.

More information about Listeria can be found on the CDC website www.cdc.gov/listeria and on the KDHE website www.kdheks.gov/listeria.