New product implicated in listeria lawsuit against Boar's Head
(NewsNation) — Another wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Boar's Head for its nationwide listeria outbreak that's sickened 59 and killed 10.
The family of Otis Adams Jr. said the 79-year-old Florida man contracted listeria from Boar's Head Tavern Ham and Yellow American Cheese, according to ABC News reporting.
Ham and cheese are two products that had not been named in previous wrongful death suits. All previous suits have been connected to liverwurst products.
On July 26, the company recalled around 200,000 pounds of deli products, only to flag a whopping 7 million pounds of deli meat just four days later.
More than 70 Boar’s Head products were affected, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The department has launched an internal investigation into how the agency handled reports of serious problems at the Boar’s Head deli meat plant linked to the outbreak.
What is listeria?
According to the USDA, listeriosis is an infection caused by ingesting the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Pregnant women and their newborns, those with compromised immune systems and people older than 65 are most likely to get sick.
Symptoms include:
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Convulsions
Is listeria deadly?
Yes. Each year, an estimated 1,600 people are infected, and 260 die. That’s a roughly 16% fatality rate.
So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 59 infections from the Boar's Head outbreak across 19 states. All affected customers were hospitalized, and 10 have died.
Boar’s Head deli meat recall: What to do
If you have liverwurst, ham, beef salami, bologna or other products made at the Jarratt, Virginia, Boar’s Head plant, do not eat them. Instead, throw the items away or return them to the store for a refund.
The recalled meats carry the plant’s number — EST.12612 or P-12612 — inside the USDA mark on the label. The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.
For any questions, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.
Click here to see a photo gallery of all the recalled product labels.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.