A New York man has died in connection with a listeria outbreak linked to contaminated Boar’s Head deli meat, the state Department of Health said Wednesday.

The department would not elaborate on where or when the death occurred. It said there were a total of two hospitalizations in Nassau and Suffolk counties, eight in New York City and one case each in five counties in the northern part of the state, for a total of 17 cases.

In addition to the New York death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced five more deaths linked to the outbreak in multiple states on Wednesday. Two of those deaths were reported in South Carolina, and one death each was reported in Florida, Tennessee and New Mexico, the agency said. The CDC had previously reported three deaths linked to the outbreak, bringing the total to nine confirmed deaths.

Since August 8, the CDC has recorded 14 additional hospitalizations due to listeria, and infections have been confirmed in five more states. The total number of cases has risen to at least 57 in 18 states. The agency said more states may see more infections and cases because some people recover before they are tested.

The 17 confirmed cases in New York State are the highest numbers of any state to date and more than double the number in the second-highest state of Maryland, which has 8 confirmed infections.

Laboratory data has shown that meat sliced ​​at deli stores, including Boar’s Head brand liver sausage, is contaminated with listeria and is causing illness, the CDC said on its website. More than 7 million pounds of deli meat have been recalled as a result. Some of the recalled products have a best-before date of October 2024, the agency said, advising consumers to look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” in the USDA mark on product labels.

Listeria spreads easily through delicatessen equipment, surfaces, hands and food, according to the CDC. Listeriosis is an infection typically caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. About 1,600 people become infected with this infection each year, and about 260 die from it. Pregnant women and their newborns, as well as adults age 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems, are most likely to become ill.

According to the latest data from the CDC, people who have contracted listeriosis range in age from 32 to 95. The agency said one pregnant woman became ill “and remained pregnant after she recovered.”

Legal disputes with Boar’s Head are ongoing in several jurisdictions over the outbreak.

The current listeria outbreak is the largest since a 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe, according to the CDC. There have been dozens of outbreaks since the early 1980s, including in meat, dairy products and fruits and vegetables.

The first confirmed outbreak occurred in Canada in 1981 and was linked to consumption of spoiled coleslaw, according to a 2013 article in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The first such outbreak in the United States occurred in 1983 and was transmitted through pasteurized milk.