Nationwide listeria outbreak from Boar's Head sliced deli meat leaves 2 dead, 34 sick, including 1 in Wisconsin

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The popular deli meat brand "Boar's Head" is recalling more than 200,000 pounds of product nationwide after a recent listeria outbreak.

An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals two people in Illinois and New Jersey have died, and 34 others across 13 states have fallen ill or become hospitalized -- including one here in Wisconsin.

Listeria, which is the third leading cause of foodborne illness or death, was discovered in a sample of liverwurst in Maryland.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, which announced the recall last week, said they are continuing to test if the Maryland liverwurst is connected to the outbreak.

Of those who got sick, the majority reported symptoms after they had eaten meat that was sliced at deli counters -- not prepackaged. Samples from those affected were collected from May 29 to July 12, with the age range between 32 and 94.

On Monday, Wisconsin experts told CBS 58 symptoms for the majority of people are similar to regular food poisoning.

"To be honest, a lot of times we don't even know about it, because you ate some food, you got a little bit sick, you don't need to go to the doctor, you certainly don't need to get tested to see what kind of bacteria you have, and so you just sort of get over it and forget about it," said Dr. Ben Weston, Milwaukee County's chief health policy advisor.

But for those who are young, old, immunocompromised, or pregnant, symptoms can become more severe.

"When it goes beyond just your intestinal digestive system and starts invading other part of your body, that's called invasive Listeriosis," Dr. Weston told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. "It can be much more severe, and those symptoms can include fevers, it can include confusion, seizures, and in pregnant women, it can be quite dangerous to both the mother as well as the baby."

Officials also said if you believe you've bought any of the recalled products, you should throw them out immediately and thoroughly clean any surface they've touched.

"If you're not having any symptoms, I wouldn't worry about it. If you are having symptoms - fevers, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea - those things can be common," said Dr. Jeff Pothof, the chief quality officer for UW Health. "But if you're starting to feel ill from it, or you're getting lightheaded, you know, talking to your doctor going in, they may do some testing."

Products in the recall include: