Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meats, U.S. federal food safety officials announced Thursday, with the overall number of people sickened rising to 43.
The latest death happened in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention said in a news release Thursday. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases were reported since a July 31 release about the outbreak, which started in late May.
Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli meats on July 30, expanding an initial recall on July 25 after a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. The CDC said Thursday that New York health officials tested a liverwurst sample and confirmed the same strain of listeria.
The recall includes more than 70 products – including liverwurst, ham, beef salami and bologna – made at the company's plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
Boar’s Head already faces two lawsuits over the outbreak, one in a Missouri court and the other a class action suit in federal court in New York.
The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.
Consumers should not eat the recalled meats and should discard them or return them to the store for a refund.
Listeria bacteria can survive and grow in the refrigerator, so officials say people who had recalled products should thoroughly clean and sanitize the fridge to prevent contamination.
The CDC estimates 1,600 people a year get listeria food poisoning and about 260 of those people die.
The most common symptoms include fever, muscle aches and fatigue, though infections may also cause confusion and convulsions.
Infections are most dangerous for people older than 65, people with weak immune systems and pregnant people. Symptoms may not appear for weeks after eating contaminated food.
