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CDC: Listeria outbreak linked back to deli meats

The listeria outbreak dates back to 2016 and has lead to the death of one person in Michigan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still investigating a multi-year listeria outbreak that they say is linked back to deli meats and cheese contaminated with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes. The outbreak has hospitalized 8 people -- one person was from Michigan and has since died.

According to a Wednesday announcement from the CDC, 8 people sickened were exposed to the same strain of listeria. The listeria cases have been reported from four states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York.

The investigation began in 2017 and examined details behind the illnesses of several people who were infected with listeria monocytogenes between November 2016 and February 2017. The CDC worked with state health departments to collect interview information from ill people about what they ate and did in the month before they fell ill. 

The CDC discovered through the interviews that 6 of the 8 ill people reported eating products sliced at a deli counter. Delis where the subjects shopped served many different brands of products, but there is limited information about what specific brands these ill subjects bought, the CDC says.

Advice to Consumers and Retailers
The CDC isn't recommending that people avoid deli meats or cheese, but if you are within a particular risk group -- it may be worth careful consideration. The CDC says those who are pregnant, age 65 or older or already have a weakened immune system would place someone in a risk group.

THE CDC presents these steps to prevent Listeria infection:

  • Don’t let juice from lunch meat and hot dog packages get on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces.
  • Wash hands after handling deli meats, lunch meats, deli cheeses, and hot dogs.
  • Store opened packages of meat sliced at a local deli no longer than 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Retailers should clean and sanitize deli slicers frequently and other areas where deli products are prepared, stored, or served. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for sanitizer strength and application to ensure it is effective.

  • Regularly clean food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils in direct contact with deli products, such as cutting boards, tables, cheese slicers, and knives.
  • Make sure food contact surfaces, such as cutting boards, are smooth, sealed, non-porous, and easily cleanable.

Not everyone exposed to listeria gets sick from it, but when they do, it can cause serious illness. Listeria causes listeriosis, an infection that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Symptoms can include a fever along with diarrhea, muscle aches, or other gastrointestinal symptoms, and headache. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, they may also experience a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. 

If you develop these symptoms, after eating sliced deli meat or cheese, contact your doctor. 

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