A third death and more hospitalizations have been reported in connection to a listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meat products, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
The CDC says that 10 more people have been hospitalized due to the outbreak in 13 states. This brings the total of people hospitalized to 43.
Additionally, a third person has died from the outbreak in Virginia. Two deaths were previously reported in Illinois and New Jersey.
Boar’s Head on July 30 expanded a recall to include all of its products that were produced in its Jarratt, Virginia facility due to a potential contamination of listeria. The expanded recall amounted to seven million pound of deli meat — both packaged products and meat intended to be sliced at a deli.
In total, 71 products under the Boar Head’s and Old Country brands — including ham, bacon, sausage and bologna — were added to the recall.
The products have a sell by date ranging from July 29, 2024 to October 17, 2024 and were distributed to retail deli locations nationwide and exported to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama.
Boar’s Head issued an original recall on July 26 after the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified that a sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause serious infections. The test was part of an investigation into a multistate outbreak of listeria infections.
On July 29, the USDA confirmed that Boar’s Head liverwurst product tested positive for the same strain of listeria monocytogenes involved in the outbreak.
“On behalf of all of us at Boar’s Head Brand, we want to let our customers and consumers know that we deeply regret that our liverwurst products were found to be adulterated with listeria monocytogenes,” Boar’s Head said in a statement from July 30 on its website. “No words can fully express our sympathies and the sincere and deep hurt we feel for the families that have suffered losses and others who endured illness.”
The CDC recommends people throw away or return any recalled products. The agency also suggests people clean their refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meat.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious listeriosis infections in young children, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems. The CDC warns that listeria infections could cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Even among healthy people, a listeria infection can lead to symptoms including high fever, headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
An estimated 1,600 people in the U.S. get listeriosis ever year, with about 260 annual fatalities, according to the CDC.