US health officials have recently reported a multi-state outbreak of listeria that is linked to deli meat. It has caused 28 hospitalizations and two deaths.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have revealed that the true number of these illnesses may be higher. But they are unable to find it because of lag times in reporting cases and there is also a possibility of milder cases not being tested for listeria.
Seven illnesses have been reported in New York, six in Maryland, two each in Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Virginia, and one each in Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The first person fell ill in May, and the latest case was reported on July 5. The deaths only occurred in Illinois and New Jersey.
The CDC is unsure which deli meat is causing the outbreak. So, no recalls have been made yet. But they advise that people who are at higher risk such as pregnant women and the elderly, should avoid eating sliced deli meat unless it has been heated to a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Public health experts interviewed 18 people during the outbreak.16 out of them said that they ate sliced meats at a deli before getting sick. But there have been no reports of people getting sick from packaged deli meat, according to the CDC.
DNA tests showed that the bacteria collected from the sick people were genetically similar. This shows that they likely caught the illness from the same food. But the agency does not have enough information to determine the source of the outbreak.
Listeria bacteria cause a disease called as listeriosis. It is the third-leading cause of food-borne illness death in the US. It has some symptoms such as fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, seizures, and pregnancy loss or premature birth in pregnant women.
