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A ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø Food Safety Alert update regarding a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections has been posted at Listeria Outbreak Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis | Listeria Infection | ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø.

Key Points:

• Since the last update on August 28, two more illnesses and one more death have been reported. The death was reported from New York.
• As of September 25, a total of 59 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 19 states. All 59 people have been hospitalized and there were 10 deaths.
• Illness reports have started to decrease, and ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø will update this notice less frequently. Because it can take up to 10 weeks for some people to have symptoms of listeriosis, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø will continue to collect information for some time and report new information as it is available.
• Do not eat recalled deli meats. Some of the products have sell by dates into October 2024.

What You Should Do:

• Do not eat Throw them away or contact stores about returns.
• People who are at higher risk for getting sick with Listeria, such as those who are pregnant, are aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system, should always 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 that received recalled meats should take extra precautions like cleaning and sanitizing and throwing away opened sliced meats and cheeses at delis. Businesses should also follow USDA-FSIS 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.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state's health department.

Thank you,

ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø Media Support Branch
404-639-3286
[email protected]