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A New Yorker has become the 10th person to die from contaminated deli meat - in one of the biggest food poisoning outbreaks in decades.
A total of 59 people have been sickened with listeria linked to Boar's Head deli meat products that were produced in a filthy factory riddled with infection control problems.
All 59 people have been hospitalized across 19 states. Other deaths have been reported in Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina
The outbreak is the largest since 2011 linked to cantaloupe, and 57 have been hospitalized, with nearly 4,000 tons of meat recalled.
In total eight people have died during the outbreak and 57 have been hospitalized, with nearly 4,000 tons of Boar's Head deli meat recalled
The above map shows the states where illnesses linked to the deli meat listeria outbreak have been reported
The CDC is continuing to urge people to check inspection labels before consuming any Boar's Head products, since some have sell by dates up to October 2024.
Recalled products have the codes EST. 12612 or P-12612 inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.
The CDC recommends people who bought the affected products throw them away or contact stores about returns.
Customers are urged to clean their refrigerators, containers, and surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meats.
The health agency previously recommended not eating deli meats unless they were reheated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit - a temperature high enough to kill the bacteria.
Keeping the meats cold does not eliminate listeria.
Earlier this month, it was discovered that a factory for Boar’s Head deli meats in Virginia was found to have violated a laundry list of sanitation regulations when inspectors found mold, insects and liquids dripping from the ceiling.
The company suspended operations at the facility in July.
Agriculture Department officials inspecting the company’s largest plant in Virginia found dozens of instances of ‘noncompliance’ with federal regulations around safe production practices in the past year, including several in recent weeks.
Listeria can persist on surfaces for weeks and get into slicing tools and countertops that are not deep-cleaned regularly.
Listeria — which kills about one in five of those it infects — is particularly dangerous for the elderly, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions.
These individuals have weaker immune systems, meaning they may be less able to fight off an infection.
Symptoms can start a few days to 10 weeks after infection, and initially begin as fever, chills, stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Gunter 'Garshon' Morgenstein, a father-of-three from Newport, Virginia, is pictured above with his wife Peggy. He died after suffering from a listeria infection after eating Boar's Head deli meats
Sue Fleming, 88, and her husband Patrick, 76, are suing deli meats manufacturer Boar's Head and the shop where they purchased the meat after Ms Fleming became 'deathly ill' from listeria
But as the infection progresses patients can also suffer from convulsions, loss of balance and confusion.
The bacteria may prove fatal if it spreads into the blood and causes sepsis — where organs start to shut down — or infects nerves and the lining of the brain causing encephalitis — inflammation of the brain's lining.
Infections can be treated using antibiotics, which are given intravenously and can kill off the bacteria.
The CDC has said reports of illnesses related to the recall have started to decrease, but it can take up to 10 weeks for an infected person to show symptoms.
One victim of the outbreak was 88-year-old father-of-three and Holocaust survivor Günter 'Garshon' Morgenstein.
Last month, days after eating a Boar's Head sausage, he became fatigued and started to have trouble breathing — and was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors said he was infected with listeria, and had developed meningitis as a result, causing deadly brain inflammation.
Another woman and her husband, Sue Fleming, 88, and Patrick, 76, are suing Boar's Head.
In June, Ms Fleming ate a Boar's Head liverwurst after buying it from her local grocery store. The Missourian said she fell 'deathly ill.'
But in the days that followed she says she developed nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramps, before suffering from shaking and whole-body aches.
She was rushed to hospital, where tests confirmed a listeria infection — according to the lawsuit. She spent nine days in intensive care and 11 in rehab, but claims she still suffers from neurological symptoms and is yet to regain her full strength.
The couple are now suing Boar's Head for more than $25,000 to cover medical and legal costs, and damage to 'enjoyment of life' and their marital relationship.
English (US)