Another death in New York now brings the nationwide death tally for a listeria outbreak to 10 people, according to a Sept. 25 update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death is the second in New York and tenth nationwide and has occurred since the agency’s last update on Aug. 28. Among the other deaths reported, one occurred in Illinois, one in Virginia, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, one in New Jersey, one in Florida, and two in South Carolina.
“As of September 23, a total of 59 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 19 states,” the CDC said.
Health officials say there could be more as some people recover without being tested.
According to the agency, additional infections are possible as it generally takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if someone who’s sick is part of an outbreak.
The outbreak has been linked to meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, which were contaminated with listeria.
The CDC said that to better trace the origin of an outbreak, public health officials record different types of information from sick people, including their race, age, ethnicity, foods they ate in the last month before getting sick, and other demographics.
State and local public health officials have interviewed the infected persons, with 44 of 47 reporting eating deli meats, among which 42 had their meats sliced at the counter. Among those who said they ate deli meats, 26 said they ate liverwurst before getting sick, and 19 reported the Boar’s Head brand.
“CDC always advises people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system to avoid eating deli meats or to heat them before eating,” the agency said.
The Maryland Department of Health and Baltimore City Health Department identified listeria monocytogenes after collecting an unopened Boar’s Head liverwurst product from a retail store, according to an earlier CDC update.
They said the New York State Food Laboratory also found the bacteria in unopened Boar’s Head liverwurst samples collected from retail stores in the state.
After investigation, the bacteria in both samples were found to be the same as that in the strain that is making people sick, health officials said.
Lawsuits Filed
Multiple lawsuits have since been filed against the maker of the deli products, including the most recent on Sept. 11 in federal court by Robert Reposa of Smithfield, Virginia. Reposa was hospitalized for 14 days due to an infection linked to deli meats he bought from Boar’s Head. He is seeking $43.5 million.
In a separate lawsuit, plaintiff Barbara Schmidt filed a suit Sept. 6 and is requesting $11 million in damages.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services, when the outbreak began in July, Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli products, which marked the largest recall since 2011.
In a statement on its website, the company highlighted steps it has taken since the outbreak.
“Your safety remains our top priority,” the company said on its website. “To that end, we are conducting a rigorous investigation to identify the root cause of this incident, and we are implementing comprehensive remediation measures to ensure that all our deli products meet the highest safety and quality standards. We have partnered with the industry’s leading global food safety experts and microbiologists to enhance, where needed, our procedures and practices.”
Boar’s Head said the outbreak occurred after contamination of their liverwurst product during a specific production process at their Jarratt, Virginia facility. The product has since been permanently discontinued and the location indefinitely closed, impacting hundreds of workers.
Emphasizing transparency, Boar’s Head also provided a copy of reports released by the USDA that detail numerous health and safety violations at the Jarratt plant, including meat buildup, mold, rusty equipment, standing water contaminated with dirt debris, and other serious cleanliness issues.
In the same statement, Boar’s Head said they are working to enhance food safety programs and hire new positions related to food safety and quality monitoring.