A resident of the Eastern Health Region of Virginia has become the third person to die from the recent listeria food poisoning outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meats.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the death in an update posted Thursday. The person who died was 65 or older and a resident of the Eastern Health Region of Virginia, according to Logan Anderson, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Health.
The Eastern Health Region is one of five in Virginia, and includes Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore, Western Tidewater and the Three Rivers area. Out of respect for patient privacy, Anderson said, the health department wouldn’t provide any other information about the Virginia resident.
The other two listeria deaths occurred in New Jersey and Illinois, according to the CDC. As of Thursday, the number of people reported sickened by the disease had grown to 43, three of them in Virginia, the CDC said. All 43 had been hospitalized.
The number of states affected by the outbreak, however, remained at 13, the CDC said. In addition to the three where the deaths occurred, the other impacted states include Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Listeria infection is a bacterial illness most commonly caused by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products. It’s most harmful for pregnant women, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems.
Symptoms of a mild illness typically include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and an upset stomach. A more serious illness might include severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions. Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating contaminated food but could start as early as the same day, or as late as 10 weeks after, according to the CDC.
The CDC first reported in mid-July that it and other state and local agencies were collecting data and trying to identify the source of a multistate outbreak of listeria infections. At the time, the agency said many of the people who’d become sick had reported eating a variety of meats sliced at deli counters, and that the meats most commonly were turkey, liverwurst and ham.
Boar’s Head announced its first recall on July 25, after learning that a sample of its Strassburger Brand Liverwurst being sold at a Maryland store had tested positive for the bacterial strain causing the outbreak. The company expanded its recall five days later to include all 71 products produced at its facility in Jarratt, about 80 miles west of Norfolk and near Emporia.
Consumers who purchased any of the recalled items should throw them out, or return them to the store for a refund, according to the company. The CDC also recommends cleaning any refrigerators, containers, and other surfaces that may have been touched by them.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
