Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say another person has died and nearly a dozen more have gotten sick in the last week amid a deli meat-linked listeria outbreak sweeping the country.
As of Thursday, 43 people across 13 states have fallen ill and three people -- a New Jersey resident, a Virginian and an lllinois resident -- have died, according to the feds' latest update. All of the cases have involved hospitalization.
Boar's Head expanded its recall earlier this month to include an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant as the investigation continues. Those include liverwurst, ham, beef salami, bologna and other products made at the firm's Jarratt, Virginia, plant.
Click here for the full list of recalled products.
The recalls are tied to an ongoing outbreak of listeria poisoning that has killed two people and sickened nearly three dozen in 13 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly all of those who fell ill have been hospitalized. Illnesses were reported between late May and mid-July.
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The problem was discovered when a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further testing showed that the type of bacteria was the same strain causing illnesses in people.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to include all items produced at the Jarratt facility,” the company said on its website. It has also halted production of ready-to-eat foods at the plant.
The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Agriculture Department officials said.
Consumers who have the recalled products in their homes should not eat them and should discard them or return them to stores for a refund, company officials said. Health officials said refrigerators should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to prevent contamination of other foods.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for people older than 65, those with weakened immune systems and during pregnancy.
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