C.D.C. Links Deadly Listeria Outbreak to Deli Meats and Cheeses

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/us/listeria-outbreak-us.html

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One person has died and 13 have been hospitalized in a listeria outbreak across six states that most likely was caused by contaminated deli meat and cheese, federal health officials said on Wednesday.

The outbreak sickened at least 16 people from April 17, 2021, to Sept. 29, 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: three in Maryland, where the person who died resided; seven in New York; two people each in Illinois and Massachusetts; and one each in New Jersey and California.

There may have been more recent cases, but it typically takes three or four weeks to determine if an illness is tied to an outbreak. The true number of sick people is most likely higher, and the outbreak “may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the agency said in a news release.

The flulike symptoms of listeriosis — fever, vomiting and diarrhea — most often affect older adults, immune-compromised individuals and pregnant women, who can pass it on to their fetuses.

Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating contaminated food, including meat, unpasteurized milk, raw vegetables and certain processed items like hot dogs and deli meats, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Listeria bacteria can be found in soil, water and animal feces.

The agency said that one person got sick during their pregnancy, which resulted in pregnancy loss. Of the 13 people who shared information about their ethnicity to the agency, 11 are of Eastern European background or speak Russian. They range in age from 38 to 92, the agency said.

Pregnant women are 10 times more likely than other people to become infected, according to the C.D.C.

State and local public health officials believe that contaminated deli meat and cheese are the root of the outbreak. Of the seven people who got sick in New York, five bought sliced deli meat or cheese from at least one NetCost Market, a grocery store chain. However, the agency said “investigators do not believe that NetCost Market delis are the only source of illnesses because some sick people in the outbreak did not shop at a NetCost Market.”

The grocery store temporarily closed the deli in one of its Brooklyn stores after New York City health officials notified them about the sampling results. The NetCost market reopened after a “deep cleaning” and after “further environmental testing did not identify Listeria,” the agency said.

NetCost Market did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Wednesday night.

In 2021, health officials in New York found the outbreak strain of Listeria in several samples, including sliced salami purchased by a sick person from a NetCost Market deli on Staten Island and a NetCost Market deli in Brooklyn, where several open packages of mortadella and ham contained Listeria.

The sick people from other states purchased deli meats or cheeses from other delis, the agency said.

The C.D.C. advised people at higher risk of severe Listeria illness “to not eat meat or cheese from any deli counter,” unless it is reheated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees or until steaming hot.