There are now 10 people dead and 59 sick in Boar’s Head Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, according to the CDC. All 59 people have been hospitalized. The outbreak has affected people in 19 states. The CDC says that illness reports have started to decrease.
The case count by state is: Arizona (1), Florida (3), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Louisiana (1), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (3), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), New Jersey (6), New Mexico (1), New York (17), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (1), Virginia (4), and Wisconsin (1). The people who died lived in Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, two were from New York, New Mexico, and two lived in South Carolina.
The patient age range is from 32 to 95 years. Patient isolates were collected from Mary 29, 2024 to August 28, 2024. One person got sick during a pregnancy and remaining pregnant after recovering.
Patients, in interviews with public health officials, said they ate a variety of meats sliced at deli counters before they got sick. In fact, 94% said they ate deli meats. And of the 44 people who said they ate liverwurst, 59% said they ate deli-sliced liverwurst; 19 of those patients reported buying Boar’s Head brand.
Inspections at the Boar’s Head facility in Jarratt, Virginia over the years found many critical health violations, including flies and cockroaches, condensation dripping on product, and a rancid smell, There were 69 records of noncompliance registered by USDA inspectors, including mold and mildew, leaking and pooling water, some with green algal growth, and blood in puddles on the floor.
All Boar’s Head deli meats have been recalled. And the plant has been closed as of July 31, 2024, when the USDA said they would not longer authorize the USDA stamp of inspection on their products.
If you have eaten Boar’s Head deli meats and have been ill with the symptoms of listeriosis, see your doctor. You may be part of the 59 sick in the Boar’s Head Listeria monocytogenes outbreak.
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