The ongoing Boar's Head listeria outbreak affecting deli meats and vegetables has taken another life. According to the CDC's official website, there's been 9 new reported illnesses, 10 new hospitalizations, and the one additional death. Per the New York Post, the latest fatality occurred in Virginia. The two deaths prior took place in Illinois and New Jersey, respectively.
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For those who aren't familiar with listeria and the dangers it poses, here's a handy set of bullet points directly from the CDC's website.
- 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-threatening] infection of the newborn.
- People who are not pregnant may experience [headaches], 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.
I cannot emphasize the following enough. If you start feeling any symptoms, please seek medical care as soon as possible. The scariest part of the reported numbers? It's likely much worse than it initially appears. Here's what a Food Poison Journal reported about the outbreak's statistics as it stands.
A Third Person Falls Victim To The Boar's Head Listeria Outbreak
"The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported. And the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak."
The "grand list" of recalled items grows by the day. For something that spreads so quickly and is difficult to track, it's impossible to know every single product affected by the Boar's Head recall. However, there are many resources available to you so that you can stay as informed as reasonably possible. Stay safe, y'all.
