Listeria cases and deaths grow, says CDC

MADISON, Wis. -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday an increase in cases and deaths reported in the listeria outbreak linked to meats sliced at delis.

Since the last update, the CDC said nine more cases of listeria have been reported. All 43 total cases have been hospitalized. Three deaths have been reported from Illinois, New Jersey, and most recently, Virginia.

The CDC said the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Food Safety and Inspection collected unopened Boar’s Head liverwurst products from retail stores, and the New York State Food Laboratory identified the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes that was making people sick. On July 30, Boar’s Head recalled all of its deli products, including prepackaged deli products, in shelf life.

The CDC provided a list of helpful behaviors in order to avoid contracting listeria:

• Do not eat recalled deli products. Instead, throw them away or contact stores about returns.
• Clean your refrigerator, containers, and surfaces, that may have touched sliced deli meats.
• Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of listeria (headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, fever, and muscle aches) and recently ate meats sliced at deli counters.
• If your business received recalled meats, take extra precaution to clean, sanitize, and throw away open sliced meats and cheeses at or from delis.

The CDC said people who are at a higher risk for listeria, including pregnant people, immunocompromised people, and people over 65 should always avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters, unless heated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or until steaming hot) just before serving.

If you have questions about listeria outbreak statistics in a particular state, the CDC recommends calling that state's health department.

​COPYRIGHT 2024 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.