Florida residents die in cold cut-related listeria outbreak; two others sickened • Florida Phoenix
This month, a person in Florida died after eating Boar’s Head cold cuts contaminated with listeria, bringing the number of deaths linked to the recalled products to eight.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in its latest food safety alert on Wednesday that 57 people had been sickened and hospitalized due to the foodborne bacterial illness, the largest outbreak in 13 years.
Since the outbreak began in July, people have died in Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia and most recently in Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina.
The Florida Department of Health has reported three cases of listeria in Hillsborough, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. At the time of publication, state and county health departments had not released details about the cases. The CDC did not immediately respond to Florida Phoenix’s request for more information on the death.
Any Boar’s Head products marked with “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” within the USDA inspection mark on the product labels should be thrown away. According to the CDC, some of the products have a best-before date that extends into October.
Symptoms of listeriosis include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, fever, and muscle aches. These symptoms may appear on the same day or up to 10 weeks after the contaminated food is eaten.