Listeria Overview
Listeria bacterial infections have been found in six states affecting 16 people since 2021. The Mayo Clinic defines listeria as —“ … a food-borne bacterial illness … most commonly caused by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products”. Listeria can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spreads beyond the gut to other parts of the body. Almost all severe illnesses from Listeria result in hospitalizations and sometimes death. Symptoms of severe illness usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches. Pregnant people usually experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns. Pregnant people and their newborns, adults 65 years or older, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they usually get mild food poisoning symptoms, like diarrhea and fever, and usually recover without treatment.
Outbreak Locations
According to the CDC, listeria has been found in; California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. Since April 17 2021, 16 people have been affected— 1 person in Maryland passed and a woman in an undisclosed state lost her pregnancy to the infection.
In 2021, health officials in New York state and New York City found the outbreak strain of Listeria in several environmental and food samples:
- Environmental samples from a NetCost Market deli in Brooklyn
- Several open packages of mortadella and ham that were sliced at the same NetCost Market deli in Brooklyn
- Sliced salami that a sick person bought from a NetCost Market deli in Staten Island
NetCost Market voluntarily closed the deli temporarily in Brooklyn after New York officials notified them about the sampling results. NetCost Market performed a deep cleaning and then reopened the deli in Brooklyn after further environmental testing did not identify Listeria.
In September 2022, the outbreak strain was found at the same Brooklyn NetCost Market deli; however, the most recent illness with NetCost Market exposure was in October 2021. After a deep cleaning, additional environmental testing did not identify Listeria in the deli. 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. A contaminated food likely introduced the outbreak strain of Listeria into delis in multiple states. It is recommended if you are going to consume deli meats or cheese to heat them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees or visibly steaming.
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—The Modern Times
sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/deli-11-22/map.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/listeria-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20355269
https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pathogens/listeria-listeriosis
