By IDSE News Staff
The Listeria outbreak linked to contaminated deli meats is slowing, although cases continue to be reported. As of Sept. 25, there were 59 people hospitalized and 10 people have died. Cases have been reported from 19 states.
The reports have started to decrease, according to the CDC. Because it can take up to 10 weeks for some people to have symptoms of listeriosis, however, the agency said it will continue to collect information for some time and report new information as it becomes available. Symptoms of severe illness usually start one to four weeks after eating contaminated food with Listeria, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after.
The CDC is urging people not to eat recalled deli meat manufactured by Boar’s Head. Some of the products have sell-by dates into October 2024.
Businesses that received recalled meats should take extra precautions like cleaning and sanitizing, and throwing away opened sliced meats and cheeses at delis. Businesses should also follow USDA-FSIS best practices for controlling Listeria contamination in deli areas, the CDC said.
Listeria can cause invasive listeriosis when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body. Older, immunocompromised and pregnant people are especially at risk. People with a weakened immune system make up 75% of all people with Listeria infection. Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
