Third person dies in listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats

Federal food safety officials said Thursday that three people have died from Listeria food poisoning linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, bringing the whole variety of illnesses to 43.

The additional death occurred in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release Thursday. The other two deaths occurred in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases have been reported because it issued a July 31 advisory concerning the outbreak, which began in late May.

Boar’s Head recalled 7 million kilos of deli meats on July 30, expanding an initial recall on July 25 after a sample of the meatloaf collected by Maryland health officials tested positive for listeria. The CDC said Thursday that New York health officials tested the meatloaf sample and confirmed the presence of the identical strain of listeria.

The recall covers greater than 70 products — including liverwurst, ham, beef salami and gammon — produced at the corporate’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia.

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Boar’s Head is already facing two lawsuits over the outbreak: one in a Missouri court and the opposite, a class-action lawsuit, in a New York federal court.

The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, in addition to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama. Consumers mustn’t eat the recalled meats and may throw them away or return them to the shop for a refund. Listeria bacteria can survive and grow in the refrigerator, so officials say people whose products are affected should thoroughly clean and disinfect their refrigerator to prevent contamination.

The CDC estimates that 1,600 people get food poisoning from Listeria every year, and about 260 of them die.

The most typical symptoms are fever, muscle aches and fatigue, although infections can even cause confusion and seizures. Infections are most dangerous to people over 65, individuals with weakened immune systems and pregnant women. Symptoms may not appear for weeks after eating contaminated food.