Third victim succumbs to listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats
Three individuals have now perished in a listeria food poisoning epidemic associated with Boar’s Head delicatessen meats, federal food safety authorities revealed on Thursday, and the total number of individuals affected increased to 43.
The additional fatality occurred in Virginia, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a press release on Thursday. The other two fatalities were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also indicated that nine additional instances were reported subsequent to a publication on July 31 concerning the epidemic, which commenced in late May.
Boar’s Head retrieved 7 million pounds of delicatessen meats on July 30, expanding an initial retrieval on July 25 following a liverwurst sample gathered by health authorities in Maryland tested positive for listeria. The CDC mentioned on Thursday that a New York health authorities examined a liverwurst sample and verified the same strain of listeria.
The retrieval encompasses over 70 products — including liverwurst, ham, beef salami, and bologna — produced at the firm’s facility in Jarratt, Virginia.
Boar’s Head already confronts two litigations regarding the epidemic, one in a Missouri court and the other a collective action lawsuit 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 consume the retrieved meats and should dispose of them or return them to the store for a reimbursement. Listeria bacteria can endure and expand in the refrigerator, so authorities advise individuals who had retrieved products to meticulously clean and sanitize the fridge to avert contamination.
The CDC approximates 1,600 individuals annually contract listeria food poisoning and around 260 of those individuals perish.
The most prevalent symptoms encompass fever, muscle aches, and weariness, though infections may also induce confusion and convulsions. Infections pose the greatest danger to individuals over 65, individuals with weakened immune systems, and pregnant individuals. Symptoms may not manifest for weeks after consuming contaminated food.
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