Six more people have died due to a listeria outbreak linked to recalled Boar’s Head deli meat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The total number of deaths in the outbreak is now at nine. Fourteen more cases have also been reported since the CDC’s last update on Aug. 8, bringing the total number of cases to 57, all of which required hospitalization.
A recall over listeria concerns was originally announced on July 26 and was expanded days later to include an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
The six additional deaths include one in Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, New York, and two in South Carolina.
The CDC says this is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe.
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The CDC is urging everyone to check their homes for any remaining recalled Boar’s Head products, and discard them or contact stores about returns.
Boar’s Head first recalled its ready-to-eat liverwurst products produced between June 11 and July 17. The products are branded as “Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst made in Virginia." They come in 3.5 pound loaves in plastic casing, or from packages sliced fresh at local delis. Sell-by dates range from July 25 to Aug. 30.
The expansion covered 71 additional products that were packaged between May 10 and July 29. Affected products have sell-by dates ranging from 29-JUL-2024 through 17-OCT-24. A full list of the affected products is available on the USDA's website.
The CDC previously warned that listeria can also spread easily among other non-recalled products sliced or prepared at the deli.
You should not eat any other deli meats sliced at deli counters unless they are “reheated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot,” the CDC said.
People should also clean their refrigerators and other surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meats.
“Listeria is a hardy germ that can remain on surfaces, like meat slicers, and foods, even at refrigerated temperatures,” said the CDC.
Listeria can cause severe illness — known as invasive listeriosis — when the bacteria spread from the gut to other areas of the body, the CDC says.
Anyone experiencing symptoms of listeria illness — including fever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures — should contact their health care provider right away.
It can take up to 10 weeks in some cases for symptoms of listeriosis to show.
For more information on the recall, click here.
RELATED STORY | Boar's Head expands meat recall over potential listeria contamination
