US: 1 Dead, 13 Hospitalized In Deadly Listeria Outbreak Linked To Deli Meat And Cheese

Federal investigators have confirmed a nationwide listeria outbreak in the US, connected to deli meat and cheese, has killed one person and hospitalized 13 others, including a pregnant mother who has lost her baby.?

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the deadly bacteria infected 16 people in six states, including seven in New York.

CDC claims the remaining cases were reported from New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California, and Maryland, with a single fatal case.

The outbreak also led to one woman's "pregnancy loss," based on the health ministry.?Samples from affected patients were gathered between April 2021 and the end of September this year.

According to the CDC, at least two infections have been linked to New York City restaurants: a NetCost Market deli in Brooklyn and another on Staten Island.

"The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses," the CDC explained.?

"This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for listeria."

What is Listeria?

A severe infection called listeria is brought on by a bacteria that mainly affects expectant mothers, newborns, aged people, and those with weakened immune systems

According to the federal office, 11 of the 13 people who provided ethnic information were either Russian or Eastern European.??

CDC reports that the infected people's ages ranged from 38 to 92, and more than half are men.

At least one NetCost Market sold sliced cheese or beef that five of the seven fatally ill New Yorkers purchased. Health officials stated that the other instances were caused by cheese or deli meats bought in other locations.

Last year, health inspectors in New York state and city discovered listeria strains at NetCost Markets in Brooklyn and Staten Island, according to the CDC.

According to the CDC, the Brooklyn location will be voluntarily and temporarily shuttered in 2021. Before it reopened, the deli underwent a deep clean to ensure no listeria presence.

The outbreak strain was allegedly rediscovered at the exact net cost at a Market deli in September 2022, despite the deli's deep cleaning of its facilities, according to the agency, and the strain was once again unidentified.?

According to the CDC, the most recent illness from that NetCost Market was reported in October 2021.

"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," concluded CDC.?

"A contaminated food likely introduced the outbreak strain of listeria into delis in multiple states."

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