Two dead and 28 sick from sliced deli meat contaminated with deadly bacteria

A listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meats has killed two people and sickened more than two dozen others. 

The CDC announced Friday that 28 people across 12 states had seen sickened by the bacteria listeria, which has been linked to sliced deli meats, and two have died. 

The health agency is warning people to not eat meats bought at deli counters unless they are 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.  

CDC investigators are still collecting information on the outbreak in order to determine the exact sources of the listeria.  

The CDC said: 'Many people in this outbreak are reporting eating meats that they had sliced at deli counters.'

For vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, people with weakened immune systems or pregnant women, the CDC advises taking extra precautions and avoiding deli meats unless they have been properly reheated. 

These people should also clean all surfaces and containers that may have come into contact with sliced deli meats. 

The CDC did not reveal where the outbreak had hit, what specific products were affected or how many people had been hospitalized. 

The announcement comes one day after it was revealed two people died and 10 were sickened in Canada by listeria in almond milk and other dairy-free alternatives.

Nine of those people were hospitalized and most of the cases were in Ontario. 

They had consumed either the Silk-branded oat, almond, cashew or coconut milk alternatives 

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can cause listeriosis, a bacterial infection that can lead to severe illness and death. 

Warning signs of an infection with listeria include nausea, cramps, diarrhea and constipation — which generally emerge within hours to three days of consuming contaminated food.

More than 90 percent of patients are hospitalized, the FDA says.

In severe cases, the bacteria can spread to the nervous system and cause meningitis — inflammation of the fluid surrounding the brain — and sepsis.

Both can prove fatal.

Those with weakened immune systems and people older than 60 are at particularly high risk from the infection, officials say.

Pregnant women are also at higher risk of suffering a miscarriage if they contract listeria because the bacteria can spread to the fetus.

Approximately 1,600 people are infected with listeria in the US every year, estimates suggest, while about 260 people die.