Third person dies in listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats

Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar's Head deli meats, federal food safety officials announced on Thursday, and the overall number of people sickened rose to 43.

The additional death happened in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release on Thursday. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases were reported since a 31 July release about the outbreak, which started in late May.

Boar's Head recalled 7m pounds of deli meats on 30 July, expanding an initial recall on 25 July after a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. The CDC said on Thursday that New York health officials tested a liverwurst sample and confirmed the same strain of listeria.

The recall includes more than 70 products - including liverwurst, ham, beef salami and bologna - made at the company's plant in Jarratt, Virginia.

Boar's Head already faces two lawsuits over the outbreak, one in a Missouri court and the other a class action suit in federal court in New York.

The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.

Consumers should not eat the recalled meats and should discard them or return them to the store for a refund. Listeria bacteria can survive and grow in the refrigerator, so officials say people who had recalled products should thoroughly clean and sanitize the fridge to prevent contamination.