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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an update on Thursday, Aug. 8 advising that there have been nine more cases reported in connection to the recall, bringing the total to 43 hospitalized - three of which who died, including one from Virginia.
No details about the person who died in Virginia have been released. Two others in the state have also been sickened with Listeria amid the outbreak.
Other deaths were reported in Illinois and New Jersey.
In late July, Boar's Head - based out of Jarratt in Virginia - expanded its initial recall to include approximately seven million additional pounds of cold cuts due to the Listeria outbreak.
The expansion includes more than 70 products that were produced between May and July under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names.
A full product list can be found here. Labels of the recalled items can be found here.
The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.
"Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data show that meats sliced at delis, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, are contaminated with Listeria and are making people sick," according to the CDC.
"Products sold at the deli, especially those sliced or prepared at the deli, can be contaminated with Listeria. Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands, and food."
People who are pregnant, age 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or treatments are at a higher risk for severe Listeria illness.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, those with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and their newborns.
Less commonly, others outside those risk groups are affected.
“Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
"An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems.”
Listeria affects approximately 1,600 Americans each year, killing around 260, according to the CDC. Most people suffer only spiking fever, stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea, and headaches.
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