At least 2 dead in listeria outbreak tied to deli meats: How to stay safe

FILE – This 2002 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a listeria monocytogenes bacterium, responsible for the food borne illness listeriosis. (Elizabeth White/CDC via AP, File)

LOS ANGELES – At least two people in the US have died and 28 people have been hospitalized from a listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday.

A dozen states in the Midwest and East Coast reported people getting sick from listeria, a bacteria that causes foodborne illnesses, the CDC said in a news release. The deaths were reported in Illinois and New Jersey, and New York has had seven cases, according to CDC.

Most of the sick people said they ate meats sliced at deli counters, mostly deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst and ham.

“This information suggests that meats sliced at the deli are a likely source of this outbreak. However, at this time CDC doesn’t have enough information to say which deli meats are the source of this outbreak,” CDC said.

CDC is advising people at higher risk of getting sick from listeria – pregnant women, adults aged 65 or older and people with weakened immune systems – to avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters, unless those meats are heated to 165 degrees or until steaming hot..

A CDC Investigation Notice regarding this multistate outbreak of listeria monocytogenes infections has been posted here.

What you should do 

• People who are at higher risk for getting sick with listeria should avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters, unless heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot just before serving.
• Clean your refrigerator, containers and surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meats.
• Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of listeria and recently ate meats sliced at deli counters.
• Businesses should follow USDA-FSIS best practices for controlling listeria contamination in deli areas.

About listeria

• Listeria can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body.
• Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches.
• However, listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threating 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.
• Symptoms of severe illness usually start 1 to 4 weeks after eating contaminated food with listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after.