At least nine people have died after being infected with listeria from Boar’s Head deli meats tied to a massive recall last month, federal health officials said Wednesday.
The new food poisoning toll includes two deaths in South Carolina plus one each in Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee, and New York, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Three deaths previously were confirmed in people who lived in Illinois, New Jersey, and Virginia.
At least 57 people were sickened and hospitalized in the outbreak. Illnesses were reported starting in late May and continued into August, the agency said.
It is the largest listeria outbreak in the U.S. since 2011, and Boar’s Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products.
Bacteria can survive refrigeration
Listeria infections are caused by a hardy type of bacteria that can survive and even thrive during refrigeration. An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year, and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
Infections can be hard to pinpoint because symptoms may occur quickly or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food.
The infections are especially dangerous for older people, those who are pregnant, or those with weakened immune systems.
The problem was discovered when a Boar’s Head liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further testing showed the type of bacteria was the same strain causing illnesses in people.
Boar’s Head officials originally recalled liverwurst and other products meant to be sliced in retail delis with sell-by dates from July 25 to Aug. 30. On July 29, the recall was expanded to include all foods produced at the firm’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia. The recalled products included those sliced at deli counters as well as some prepackaged retail sausage, frankfurters, and bacon.
All the recalled deli meats were removed from stores and are no longer available, Boar’s Head officials said on the company’s website. The products were distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said.
CDC officials urged consumers to check their refrigerators for the recalled products. Look for EST. 12612 or P-12612 inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels, some of which have sell-by dates that extend into October. Discard recalled foods and thoroughly clean and sanitize refrigerator and other surfaces they touched.
Many illnesses caused by food poisoning are short-lived, but listeria infections can have devastating effects.
Holocaust survivor among those who died in outbreak
In Virginia, Gunter “Garshon” Morgenstein of Newport News died on July 18 from a brain infection caused by listeria bacteria, an illness confirmed to be linked to the contaminated Boar’s Head products.
