Boar’s Head deli meats: Listeria outbreak death toll rises to 9, CDC says

At least nine people have died after being infected with listeria from Boar’s Head sausages linked to a massive recall last month, federal health officials said Wednesday.

The video is from a previous report.

The new food poisoning toll includes two deaths in South Carolina and one each in Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee and New York, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Previously, three deaths had been confirmed in people living in Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia.

At least 57 people have been sickened and hospitalized as a result of the outbreak. Listeria cases began being reported in late May and continued through August, according to the agency. It is the largest listeria outbreak in the U.S. since 2011, and Boar’s Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products.

Listeria infections are caused by a resistant type of bacteria that can survive and even proliferate during refrigeration. An estimated 1,600 people get food poisoning from listeria each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC. Infections can be difficult to detect because symptoms can appear quickly or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food.

Infections are especially dangerous for older people, pregnant women, or those with weakened immune systems.

The problem was discovered when a sample of Boar’s Head liver pate collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Subsequent tests showed the type of bacteria was the same strain that causes illness in people.

Boar’s Head officials originally recalled liverwurst and other products intended to be sliced ​​at retail delis with best-by dates from July 25 to Aug. 30. On July 29, the recall was expanded to include all foods produced at the company’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia. The products included those sliced ​​at delis counters as well as some retail-packaged sausages, frankfurters and bacon.

All of the recalled sausages have been removed from stores and are no longer available, Boar’s Head officials said on the company’s website. The products were distributed to stores nationwide, as well as the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said.

CDC officials urged consumers to check their refrigerators for the recalled products. Look for EST. 12612 or P-12612 inside the USDA mark of inspection on product labels, some of which have expiration dates extending into October. Throw away the recalled foods and thoroughly clean and disinfect the refrigerator and other surfaces that have come into contact with them.

Many food poisoning illnesses are short-lived, but listeria infections can have devastating effects.

In Virginia, Gunter “Garshon” Morgenstein of Newport News died July 18 from a brain infection caused by the bacteria listeria, an illness confirmed to be linked to contaminated Boar’s Head products.

Morgenstein, 88, was born in Germany and survived the Holocaust. As a young man, he moved to Canada and then the United States and later became a flamboyant hairdresser, according to his son, Garshon Morgenstein. During his 70-year career, his father styled the hair of celebrities such as singer Tom Jones and was known for his fun and outgoing personality, Garshon Morgenstein said.

Gunter Morgenstein liked liverwurst, usually spread on bagels, and bought it regularly, insisting on the Boar’s Head brand because he believed it was of the highest quality, his son said.

He fell ill in early July and was hospitalized on July 8. Doctors said he suffered permanent brain damage and was unlikely to recover. Relatives took him off life support, his son said.

After Morgenstein’s death, a review of receipts showed she purchased the recalled deli meat linked to the outbreak on June 30. The family has hired an attorney, Ron Simon of Houston.

“It’s a senseless accident and a tragedy that should never have happened,” his son said. “He still has many good years left in him.”

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