Since the last update on August 28, two more illnesses and one more death have been reported. As of September 23, a total of 59 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 19 states. Sick people’s samples were collected from May 29, 2024 to August 28, 2024. Of 59 people with information available, all have been hospitalized. One person got sick during their pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering. Ten deaths have been reported, including one in Illinois, one in New Jersey, one in New York, one in Virginia, one in Florida, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, two in South Carolina, and as of this update, one additional death in New York.
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. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.
The list below has information about sick people in this outbreak (“n” is the number of people with information available for each demographic).
- Age (n=59): Range from 32 to 95 years, Median of 78
- Sex (n=59): 49% female, 51% male
- Race (n=59): 77% White, 15% African American/Black, 4% Asian, 4% Other
- Ethnicity (n=52): 94% non-Hispanic, 6% Hispanic
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. People are reporting eating a variety of meats sliced at deli counters. Of the 47 people able to be interviewed, 44 (94%) reported eating deli meats. Forty-two of the 44 (95%) reported eating meats sliced at a deli. Of the 44 people who answered if they ate liverwurst, 26 (59%) reported deli-sliced liverwurst before getting sick, and 19 reported Boar’s Head brand. These deli meats were sliced at a variety of supermarket and grocery store delis.