A New York man was one of six additional deaths reported in the United States following a listeria outbreak caused by deli meat. A total of nine people died in the outbreak and nearly 60 were hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Since the last update in early August, 14 more people have become sick with listeria, which is found in Boar’s Head brand sausage products, according to the CDC. As of Wednesday, 57 people have been hospitalized in connection with the outbreak.
Two of the deaths reported so far occurred in the tri-state area: one resident of New York and one from New Jersey.
The New York State Department of Health said in a statement that it is investigating 17 listeria cases across the state. Of those 17, eight occurred in New York City, two each in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island and one in Dutchess County, the health department said. The remaining cases occurred in Cayuga, Greene, Onondaga and Oswego counties in upstate New York.
“All infected people we currently have information about have been hospitalized. One death has been reported in New York. To protect the privacy of the family, we cannot disclose any further information,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
No further information was available about the death in New Jersey, nor were any details about the person’s identity provided.
The six newly reported deaths include two people from South Carolina and one each from Florida, Tennessee and New Mexico, according to the CDC. Two other previously reported deaths were in Illinois and Virginia.
According to the CDC, the listeria outbreak is the largest since an outbreak in 2011 that was linked to cantaloupe melons.
Boar’s Head expanded its recall in July to include an additional 3.6 million pounds of finished products made at a Virginia plant while the investigation is ongoing. That includes liver sausage, ham, beef salami, bologna and other products made at the company’s Jarratt, Virginia, plant.
The CDC advised everyone to check for remaining Boar’s Head products at home, especially because they may have an extended shelf life. Look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” within the USDA inspection mark on product labels. Some of the recalled products may have a best-before date of October 2024.
Health officials said refrigerators must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to prevent contamination of other foods. Any recalled product can be returned to stores for a refund, company officials said.
Click here to view the full list of recalled products.
The first reports of illness occurred between late May and mid-July, but continued until late August.
The problem was discovered when a sample of liver sausage collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further testing showed that the type of bacteria was the same strain that causes illness in humans.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to include all items manufactured at the Jarratt plant,” the company said on its website. It has also suspended production of ready-to-eat foods at the plant.
The meat was distributed to stores across the country as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Agriculture Department officials said.
According to the CDC, an estimated 1,600 people become ill from Listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die.
How can listeria get into sausage products?
Listeria bacteria thrive in moist environments, including soil, water and decaying vegetation, and are transmitted by some animals. The hardy germs typically spread when food is harvested, processed, transported or stored in locations contaminated with the bacteria. If the bacteria enter a food processing facility, it can be difficult to eradicate.
Many of those affected said they had eaten meat sliced at a grocery store’s deli counter. During the investigation, an unopened loaf of Boar’s Head liver sausage at a Maryland store was found to contain listeria. The Department of Agriculture said further testing showed the same strain causes illness in people.
How does Listeria make people sick?
Listeria poisoning sickens people when they eat food contaminated with this bacteria. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illnesses can include headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
Listeria poisoning is difficult to diagnose because symptoms can appear quickly, within hours or days of eating contaminated food, but they can also take weeks or up to three months to appear.
Young people, people over 65, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to the disease.
Listeria symptoms
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and fatigue and can cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can appear quickly or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for people over 65, people with weakened immune systems and during pregnancy.
Does cooking kill listeria?
Listeria can survive and grow in foods even when they are refrigerated. However, the bacteria can be killed by heating the food to “steaming hot,” or 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the CDC says. People most at risk of illness should avoid the products or heat them before eating them.
However, most deli meats are eaten cold. Because listeria can survive in the refrigerator, it’s important to clean and disinfect all surfaces, including refrigerator drawers and shelves, that may have come into contact with the products, the CDC says.
