Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meat, CDC Says
The most common foods consumed by those who got sick were deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst, and ham
Update as of Sept. 13, 2024: Boar’s Head announced today that it will stop producing liverwurst, one of the company’s deli products that was found to be contaminated with listeria and linked to 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths across 18 states. The company also said it has indefinitely closed its Jarratt, Virginia, plant where liverwurst was produced.
Update as of Aug., 8, 2024: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced nine new listeria cases linked to recalled deli meats, bringing the total number of cases and hospitalizations to 43. The CDC also said that a third person had died.
Update, July 26, 2024: Boar’s Head has recalled a number of liverwurst, ham, bacon, and salami products sold at deli counters around the U.S. due to a risk they could be contaminated with listeria. While health officials are still working to determine whether the recalled products are linked to this listeria outbreak, CR recommends throwing away any deli meat purchased at the deli counter after June 14 and for at-risk groups (such as pregnant people and older adults) to avoid all such products until more information becomes available.
A multistate listeria outbreak has hospitalized 28 people and caused two deaths, according to a July 19 announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A July 26 recall announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said those numbers had since risen to 34 people sickened, 33 people hospitalized, and two deaths. The CDC’s testing found that the bacteria that sickened individuals across more than a dozen states are closely related, but officials have not yet determined the precise cause of the outbreak.
The CDC found that 16 of the 18 sickened people they were able to interview had consumed deli meats sliced at the counter (as opposed to prepackaged meats), including turkey, liverwurst, and ham sold at grocery stores. However, the agency says it doesn’t yet have enough data to definitively point to specific meats as being contaminated.
The Risk of Listeria, Especially During Pregnancy
Listeriosis, the infection caused by listeria bacteria, affects about 1,600 people a year in the U.S., according to the CDC. For an otherwise healthy adult, listeriosis will typically resolve on its own within a few days.
But people with weakened immune systems, including older adults, very young children, and individuals who are pregnant, are at risk for a more serious infection, which can spread beyond the gut and into the rest of the body.
And, for those who are pregnant, listeriosis poses a special risk: They are 10 times more likely than other adults to get a listeria infection. And the consequences can be devastating: About 20 percent of pregnant people infected with listeria will lose their baby, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Another reason the listeria bacteria is so dangerous, says Mujahid: It can cross the fetal-placental barrier, which protects an unborn baby. Other more common types of bacteria that lead to foodborne illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli, while posing risks, don’t typically cross the barrier, Mujahid says.
The other problem is the listeriosis symptoms—fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea—are similar to morning sickness, so a person might not be diagnosed as having the infection until it has spread. If you’re pregnant and have those symptoms, along with a temperature of 100.6° F or higher, ask your doctor for a blood test, ACOG recommends.
