A third person has died and 43 others have been infected after being exposed to listeria linked to the outbreak stemming from deli meats, according to the CDC.
The outbreak is widespread. The most recent death occurred in Virginia, while one occurred in Illinois and another in New Jersey.
The 43 people who have been infected were spread across 13 states — and all of them have been hospitalized, the CDC noted. The patients range from 32 to 94 years old, with a median age of 77.
“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the federal health agency warned. The CDC also noted that recent illnesses may not yet be reported because it typically takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Boar’s Head has been in the spotlight amid the outbreak.
“Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data show that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, are contaminated with Listeria and are making people sick,” the CDC said in a statement Thursday.
On July 29, the company recalled every product made at the Jarratt, Virginia facility — 7 million pounds of deli meat — and said it is pausing operations at the location “until further notice.”
This recall was an expansion from its initial July 25 recall, in which the company said it had removed more than 200,000 pounds of deli meat from the market. The latest recall includes more than 70 products, according to the USDA.
“On behalf of all of us at Boar’s Head Brand, we want to let our customers and consumers know that we deeply regret that our liverwurst products were found to be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes,” the company said on its website. “No words can fully express our sympathies and the sincere and deep hurt we feel for the families that have suffered losses and others who endured illness.”
Listeria is a bacteria that is most likely to sicken pregnant people, newborns, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.
The agency estimated that 1,600 people fall ill from Listeria each year and about 260 people die from it.