Map shows 18 states affected by listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat

An ongoing listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat has expanded across five additional states and resulted in a rash of new hospitalizations and deaths, the CDC said in an investigation update on Wednesday.

Since health officials launched an inquiry on July 19, 57 hospitalizations have been reported across 18 states, including nine deaths. An report Wednesday by the CDC reflected a marked increase in the spread since its last report on Aug. 8, which had previously recorded 43 hospitalizations, including three deaths, across 13 states.

Boar's Head has recalled 71 products since July 26, equating to about 7.2 million pounds of deli meats. The brand is also facing legal action, with at least one class-action suit on the books as of early August. The family of one victim, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor from Virginia, previously spoke to USA TODAY about his death and plans to take legal action.

The human toll:His dad died from listeria tied to Boar’s Head meat. He needed to share his story.

Map shows which states are affected by listeria outbreak

According to the CDC, 57 people have been sickened across 18 states by a listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meat, killing nine.

The map shows where the 57 people in the listeria outbreak lived. The deaths occurred in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina. New York has reported the most cases at 17.

List of states affected by listeria outbreak

• New York
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• Virginia
• Massachusetts
• Florida
• Missouri
• Georgia
• South Carolina
• Minnesota
• Wisconsin
• Illinois
• Pennsylvania
• North Carolina
• Indiana
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Tennessee

What Boar's Head products are recalled?

Boar’s Head initially announced a recall for 207,528 pounds of liverwurst and other deli meats on July 26, followed by an expanded recall on July 30 to include over 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

In a July 30 statement from the company, Boar’s Head said that it initiated the expanded recall of all products produced at its Jarratt, Virginia facility after it learned that its Strassburger Brand Liverwurst had been linked to the national listeria outbreak.

Boar’s Head Ready-to-Eat liverwurst products recalled

• Produced between June 11, 2024 and July 17, 2024, and have a 44-day shelf-life
• “Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst made in Virginia”
• 3.5-pound loaves in plastic casing, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis
• Sell-by dates range from July 25, 2024, to August 30, 2024

Other Boar’s Head deli meat products

Boar’s Head also recalled all deli products, including prepackaged deli products. Look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.

Boar's Head:Plant linked to listeria outbreak had bugs, mold and mildew, inspectors say

Listeriosis or listeria poisoning symptoms

Listeriosis, or listeria poisoning, is a foodborne bacterial infection most commonly caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. It is considered a serious condition and can be dangerous or life-threatening, especially to older adults, people with weak immune systems and pregnant people.

According to the USDA, symptoms include:

• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Loss of balance
• Convulsions
• Diarrhea
• Other gastrointestinal symptoms
• Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and/or life-threatening infection of newborn infants
• Death

People in higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food, said the USDA.