A third person has died from food poisoning after eating deli meats contaminated with a deadly bacteria.
The deaths were caused by listeria infections linked to Boar’s Head meat sold across the country, including at Target, Walmart and other grocery stores.
The CDC announced today that the latest victim is from Virginia. The other deaths occurred in Illinois and New Jersey.
Since the last update in late July, nine more cases have been reported, bringing the total to 43. All 43 people are hospitalized.
The multi-state recall of products contaminated with listeria
Sue Fleming, 88, and her husband Patrick, 76, are suing the meat manufacturer Boar’s Head and the store where they bought the meat after Mrs Fleming became ‘seriously ill’ with listeria. She survived the illness
Boar’s Head expanded the recall on July 30 to include approximately seven million pounds of deli meats, both pre-packaged and fresh-cut meats found in the deli case.
Four days earlier, the recall affected approximately 200,000 pounds of meat.
The products vary from beef, sausage, ham, liver sausage and salami, among others.
According to the CDC: “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 found Listeria monocytogenes.”
It was the same strain that is currently causing a multi-state outbreak of listeria infection, which is especially dangerous for the elderly and pregnant, as well as those with weakened immune systems.
Most people who get listeriosis don’t get seriously ill. But about 1,600 people in the U.S. get a serious listeria infection, known as listeriosis, each year — and about 260 of those infections are fatal.
Boar’s Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of processed meats, up from the more than 200,000 pounds recalled last month
Pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other adults. This is due to changes in the immune system during pregnancy, which make it easier for infections to take hold and harder for the body to fight them off.
If it spreads to the nervous system, listeria can also cause severe encephalitis, blood poisoning, convulsions and brain swelling. Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics is crucial to prevent the worst possible outcome.
In addition to flu-like symptoms, listeriosis can cause nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramps. That was the case for Sue Fleming, 88, who lives with her husband, Patrick, 76, in High Ridge, Missouri. She ate a Boar’s Head liverwurst late last month after picking it up at her local grocery store.
She was rushed to the hospital, where tests confirmed a listeria infection, according to a lawsuit she filed against the company.
Ms Fleming spent nine days in intensive care and 11 days in rehabilitation. She says she still suffers from neurological symptoms and has not fully recovered.
Listeria lives in the soil. That means it comes into contact with anything that touches or roots in the soil, such as animals and the vegetables we eat.
![Mrs. Fleming [right] has not yet recovered, has taken the joy out of their lives and damaged their marriage. They are pictured above with a book the couple wrote about how to heal past abuse trauma](https://i0.wp.com/nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1723137165_454_Virginia-resident-becomes-third-person-to-die-after-eating-contaminated.jpeg?resize=634%2C696&ssl=1 "Virginia resident becomes third person to die after eating contaminated deli meat sold in stores nationwide 16")
Mrs. Fleming [right] has not yet recovered, has taken the joy out of their lives and damaged their marriage. They are pictured above with a book the couple wrote about how to heal past abuse trauma
The CDC began tracking listeriosis cases in May when officials determined that 16 of the 18 people who tested positive for the bacteria had eaten the now-recalled deli meats
It can also survive on countertops for a long time, forming a biofilm that sticks to hard surfaces, making it harder to ensure the food we eat is safe.
The CDC did not specify which of the now 43 infections required hospitalization, but when the count stood at 34 cases, all but one required hospital treatment.
The CDC began sampling deli meats in May in response to a number of cases. The recalled deli meats were distributed across the U.S. and have sickened people in Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The sweeping Boar’s Head recall isn’t the first time federal officials have faced it this year.
In July, Ohio-based Wiers Farm Inc. recalled certain whole and packaged salad cucumbers sold at certain Walmarts in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
The recall includes green beans, bell peppers, zucchini, jalapeños and more. The recall has been expanded to include green beans and jalapeños sold under the Freshire Farms brand, an Aldi brand.
Also last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday recalled 2,000 pounds of chicken skewers and burgers after a routine inspection found the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes at the manufacturer’s Canadian production facility, which subsequently exported products to the U.S.