Listeria outbreak tied to deli meats leaves 2 dead and 28 ill

A listeria outbreak tied to sliced deli meats in a dozen states have killed two and hospitalized 28 more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.

One death was reported in New Jersey and another in Illinois while at least 28 others were hospitalized from about May 20 to July 5 in a dozen states.

The CDC has not issued a recall of any particular deli meats and suggested contaminated deli equipment likely caused the outbreak in at least a dozen states.

“Many people in this outbreak are reporting eating meats that they had sliced at deli counters,” the CDC said Friday. “Investigators are collecting information to determine the specific products that may be contaminated.”

Seven cases were reported in New York and six in Maryland. Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and Virginia each have reported two cases.

Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each have reported one case.

The CDC says there likely are more unreported cases.

Most who became sick with listeriosis told CDC investigators they ate turkey or liverwurst. Some also said they ate ham.

Listeriosis is the nation’s third-leading cause of death due to food-borne illnesses.

Listeria can contaminate commonly used deli equipment, especially slicers, and spreads easily among food, surfaces and hands, according to the CDC.

Pregnant women, senior citizens and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to listeria but rarely take ill, the CDC says.

Common symptoms include fever, aching muscles and tiredness among pregnant women.

Other common symptoms include headaches, a stiff neck, loss of balance, confusion, seizures.

Symptoms commonly occur within two weeks of eating listeria-contaminated food but might occur within a day or be delayed as long as 10 weeks, according to the CDC.

Refrigeration won’t kill listeria, but reheating meats to suitably high temperatures will kill any germs that those meats might contain.

The CDC recommends heating deli meats that are sliced at any deli counter to an internal temperature of 165 degrees or until the meat is steaming hot.

Consumers also can protect against listeria by cleaning their refrigerators and any containers or surfaces that might have contacted sliced deli meats.