The listeria outbreak that killed 10 and left dozens ill across 19 states has ended, federal health officials announced on Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had traced the outbreak back to Boar’s Head deli meats, including the company’s liverwurst brand.
The CDC collected reports of illnesses between May and September.
As of Nov. 19, the CDC said 61 people in 19 states have become ill with listeria.
“Of 61 people with information available, 60 were hospitalized,” the CDC said. “One person got sick during their pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering.”
There was a reported death each in New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and New Mexico. Two deaths were reported in New York and South Carolina.
“The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses,” the CDC said. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria.”
Because it takes up to three or four weeks to determine if one is infected with listeria, recent illnesses likely aren’t reported.
Though the outbreak is over, the CDC recommends people who are pregnant, 65 or older, and those with weak immune systems to avoid deli meats or heat before heating.
In September, Boar’s Head issued a statement expressing its regret over the listeria outbreak.
“We understand the gravity of this situation and the profound impact it has had on affected families,” Boar’s Head said. “Comprehensive measures are being implemented to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.”
The company said it issued its recall in July and has conducted an exhaustive investigation into how its meats were contaminated.
“We recognize you want and deserve answers, and that you wanted them quickly, but we needed to take the necessary time to conduct an in-depth review and analysis of all our processes and procedures – not just at our Jarratt, Virginia plant where our liverwurst was made, but at all of our Boar’s Head Provisions meat production facilities,” the company said.
The company said it has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies to find the source of the issue, which it said was at the Jarratt facility that exclusively made liverwurst.
Boar’s Head closed the facility in July, calling it “a dark moment” in the company’s history.
“It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees,” the company said. “We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers. But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course.”
From The Epoch Times