July 22, 2024 – Two people died from an outbreak of the bacteria Listeria linked to deli meats, and dozens more have grow to be unwell, prompting the CDC to induce people to take precautions when purchasing deli meats right now.
One of the fatalities was in Illinois and the opposite in New Jersey. In total, 28 people have been sickened and hospitalized in 12 states. Authorities have linked the outbreak to consumption of sliced ​​meat sold at deli counters, but no recall has been issued while an investigation to discover the affected products is ongoing.
So far, there isn't any evidence that individuals grow to be unwell with prepackaged meatreported the CDC.
The other states where people were hospitalized were Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The people became unwell between May 29 and July 5, although additional recent cases may not have been reported yet because it might probably take as much as two weeks for symptoms to seem and it takes a pair more weeks before testing can determine whether a case is linked to an outbreak.
Officials warned that individuals in additional, as-yet-unidentified states may very well be in danger, partly because it might probably take some time for symptoms to seem and investigations are lengthy.
The actual number of individuals infected is probably going higher, the CDC said, as many individuals get well without in search of skilled medical care. The individuals who have been infected to date have ranged in age from 32 to 94.
Listeria could cause mild intestinal illness, and most of the people don't grow to be seriously unwell. In some people, nevertheless, the bacteria spread beyond the intestines and cause a serious illness called invasive listeriosis. People 65 and older, pregnant women, and folks with weakened immune systems are particularly in danger. One of the individuals who became unwell on this recent outbreak was pregnant and hospitalized, however the mother recovered and remained pregnant, the CDC reported.
Symptoms in pregnant women include fever, muscle aches and fatigue. Other people can also experience these symptoms, along with headache, stiff neck, confusion, lack of balance or seizures.
Listeria can easily spread on equipment and surfaces at deli counters, in addition to on hands and other foods. Refrigeration doesn't kill listeria, but heating it to a sufficiently extreme temperature does. Therefore, the CDC advises that individuals at high risk should take the precaution of heating meat from the deli counter to steaming hot meat (internal temperature 165°F) after which allowing it to chill before eating.
So far, investigators have interviewed 18 of the sickened people, and 16 reported eating meat sliced ​​in a deli department, “most commonly turkey, liver sausage and ham sliced ​​in a deli department. The meat was sliced ​​in a number of deli departments in supermarkets and grocery stores,” the CDC reported, but noted that the agency doesn't yet have enough data to find out exactly whether this or other meat was the source of the outbreak.