Three Dead From Contaminated Milkshakes, Ice Cream Machine, in Washington

An ice cream machine at a restaurant in Washington state has been linked to the death of three patrons.

The machine was used to make milkshakes at a Frugals in Tacoma, just south of Seattle. An additional three customers have been hospitalized. The state health department said Friday that the machine was not properly cleaned.

"We are heartbroken and deeply regret any harm our actions could have caused," the company said in a Facebook post. 

“As a family-owned business for over 40 years, the trust of our customers is paramount,” the statement continued.

The company also said it has halted milkshake sales and sent equipment used for making them to a facility to be sanitized and inspected. The restaurant stopped using its ice cream machines Aug. 8 but Listeria can sicken people up to 70 days later.

Based on genetic fingerprinting bacteria in the shakes were traced back to listeria, which led to six people being hospitalized between Feb. 27 and July 22.

Most people who eat food contaminated with Listeria will not get seriously sick, but people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older and those with weakened immune systems were told to call their healthcare provider if they ate a Frugals’ Tacoma milkshake between May 29 and Aug. 7, 2023.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria is usually contracted by eating contaminated food. About 1,600 people get sick from the disease yearly, and an estimated 260 people die, the CDC said.

The health department said symptoms in nonpregnant people include fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches, seizures, and loss of fat. The illness can be treated with antibiotics.

Generally, infections from listeria can be fought off with limited complications. However, the elderly and pregnant women are considered to be at an increased risk from the disease.