Three people have now been reported dead in the United States from listeria linked to Boar's Head brand packaged meat products, U.S. federal food safety officials said Thursday (8/8).
They also announced Thursday that the total number of people sickened by listeria had risen to 43.
Listeria is an infection caused by consuming food or drink contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
The latest death was reported in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a news release Thursday. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases have been reported since its July 31 news release about the outbreak, which began in late May.
Boar's Head recalled more than 3 million pounds of its packaged meat products on July 30, expanding an initial recall on July 25 after liverwurst samples collected by Maryland health officials tested positive for listeria.
The CDC said Thursday that New York health officials tested samples of the liverwurst and confirmed the same strain of listeria.
The recall covers more than 70 products – including liverwurst, ham, beef salami and bologna – made at the company’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
Boar's Head is already facing two lawsuits related to the outbreak, one in a Missouri court and another class-action lawsuit in federal court in New York.
The company's packaged meats were distributed to stores across the U.S., as well as to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama. Consumers are advised not to consume the products and should throw them away or return them to the store for a refund.
Listeria bacteria can survive and grow in refrigerators, so officials say people who have stored Boar's Head products should thoroughly clean and sanitize their refrigerators to prevent contamination.
The CDC estimates that 1,600 people per year experience listeria-related food poisoning and about 260 people die.
The most common symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and fatigue, although the infection can also cause confusion and seizures.
Listeria infections are most dangerous in people over 65, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women. Symptoms may not appear for weeks after eating contaminated food. (ab/ps)
