A third death has occurred in a nationwide bacterial outbreak linked to Boar’s Head brand deli meats. The company recalled more than 7 million pounds of meat last week, which is in addition to a recall of more than 200,000 pounds of meat from July 26. In total, 71 different products manufactured and sold nationwide between May 10, 2024 and July 29, 2024 have been recalled.
according to Thursday’s update from the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionA total of 43 people have been infected as a result of this outbreak, up from 34 last week. Hospitalizations have also increased to 43, up from 33 last week. Cases have been reported in 13 states. Three deaths from this outbreak have been reported, one each in Illinois and New Jersey, and the newly reported death was in Virginia. The CDC believes the number of cases to date is significantly under the actual number of cases, and it is possible that more states may be affected.
What causes the outbreak? Listeria monocytogenesListeriosis is a foodborne illness that is especially dangerous for pregnant women, people over 65, and people with weakened immune systems. In these high-risk groups, the bacteria is more likely to travel beyond the digestive system and cause an invasive infection called listeriosis. Listeriosis during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in the newborn. When non-pregnant people develop listeriosis, about 90% of cases require hospitalization, and 1 in 6 cases will result in death.
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, and may be preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
The spread of infections is growing
The number of people who become ill from this outbreak is likely much higher than current figures indicate. For many of those infected, the bacteria only causes a relatively mild infection that does not require medical care. Even if they do seek medical care, laboratory tests for listeriosis are not routinely performed on patients with mild gastrointestinal illness. Finally, while many infected individuals develop symptoms within two weeks of infection, symptoms can appear up to 10 weeks after consuming contaminated food, allowing for an additional lag time to link cases to the outbreak.
According to a CDC investigation, the first confirmed cases of this outbreak date back to the end of June. Health investigators in Maryland and New York state, respectively, Listeria monocytogenes The contaminated food was found in an unopened container of Boar’s Head brand liver sausage. Further testing in late July revealed that Listeria monocytogenes The strain found in the liverwurst products matched the strain that made people sick in this outbreak.
The CDC is advising people not to eat the recalled products, but instead to discard them or return them for a refund. Boar’s Head List of recalled products The CDC advises consumers to look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” in the USDA inspection mark on product labels. Anyone who purchased the recalled products should clean their refrigerators and According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
