Two people in the U.S. have died and 28 people have been hospitalized from a multi-state outbreak of listeria linked to sliced deli meat, federal health officials announced on Friday.
A dozen states in the Midwest and East Coast reported people recently became ill from listeria, a bacteria that causes potentially foodborne illnesses and is especially concerning during pregnancy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release. The deaths occurred in Illinois and New York. New York also had seven cases, CDC data showed.
The sick people’s samples were collected between May 29 and July 5. In interviews,16 of 18 sick people said they ate meats sliced at deli counters – most commonly deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst, and ham, the CDC said. The CDC is currently investigating which types of meat may be contaminated. There is no evidence that prepackaged deli meats made people sick with the disease, CDC said.
People at higher risk of getting sick from listeria should avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters unless they heat those meats to 165 degrees, or until they're steaming hot, the CDC said.
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