Nine people have died and more hospitalized from listeria tied to Boar's Head deli meat

So far, nine people have died due to a listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . A recall of the products was issued in July and the death toll continues to climb .

Listeria is a bacterial illness that can cause fever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, seizures and death. It is especially dangerous for pregnant people (who can experience pregnancy loss or gave birth to a baby with life-threatening infection since the infection is known to spread around the body), those who are age 65 and older and people with compromised immune systems.

Baceria that cause the infection can linger on surfaces like meat slicers and on foods even at refrigerated temperatures, though it will die at certain hot temperatures. It can take up to 10 weeks for symptoms to develop.

Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.

As of this Wednesday, six new deaths had been reported due to the Boar’s Head outbreak to bring the total up to nine. Two of the deaths were reported in South Carolina, as well as one in each of the following states: Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and New York. Previous deaths were reported in Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia.

Overall, there have been 57 hospitalizations reported, including 14 new cases as of Wednesday. These have been reported in 18 states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

One of the sick individuals was pregnant and remained pregnant after recovering. Ages of those impacted ranges from 32 to 95 years.

“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” said the CDC. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria . In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”

According to a July 30 recall notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture , the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recalled millions of pounds of Boar’s Head deli meats. It said “whole genome sequencing results show that a liverwurst sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes .”

Liverwurst products made between June 11 and July 17 of this year with sell by dates between July 25 and Aug. 30 are the main focus of the recall. Still, consumers should be aware that all other Boar’s Head deli products in this shelf life from the Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. Jarratt, Va., establishment were also recalled. Some of these products have an October 2024 sell-by date.

“The products subject to recall were distributed to retail locations nationwide and some were exported to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama,” said the USDA. “The products shipped to retailers bear establishment number ‘EST. 12612’ or ‘P-12612’ inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.”

More information about recalled products is available here .

The CDC warns people not to eat any of the recalled meats and to check their refrigerators for any products that may be included in the recall. Those who did purchase recalled products and have them in their refrigerators should thoroughly clean their fridges.

Businesses that sold the recalled meats should also “thoroughly clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces, including deli slicers,” and throw away any open meat and cheese in their deli, the CDC said. Contaminated products could cross contaminate other open products.

Anyone who may have had contact with these deli meats and is experiencing listeria symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.

Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok