Listeria outbreak claims a 10th victim

Another person has died due to one of the worst Listeria outbreaks in over a decade that was caused by contaminated deli meats.

The death, the 10^th since the outbreak was first announced in May, was reported in New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Two more illnesses have also been reported.A total of 59 people in 19 states were infected and hospitalized with the strain of Listeria.

In 2011, 33 people died and there were 147 confirmed cases from a Listeria contamination of cantaloupes linked to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo. It is the most fatal Listeria outbreak in the U.S. since the CDC began tracking such events.

The latest Listeria contamination was traced back to a Boar’s Head processing plant in Jarratt, Va., that has since been closed. The plant was cited for multiple inspection violations by the Department of Agriculture over the past year, including having mold, insects, and puddles of blood and an unidentified liquid. Boar’s Head also made the decision in September to stop producing Liverwurst.

In July the deli meat producer recalled 7 million pounds of meat after it was linked to the Listeria outbreak.

Boar’s Head currently is facing three lawsuits. The largest is a $48 million suit filed by Robert Reposa from Smithfield, Va. He claims he became “frighteningly ill” due to consuming Boar’s Head meat products.

The lawsuit states that Boar’s Head failed to take the necessary precautions to prevent the Listeria outbreak and did not give adequate warnings of the possible dangers of its products. According to the lawsuit, the company knew of the unsanitary conditions at the Jarratt plant and did not maintain safe practices in preparing products.

A separate lawsuit filed on Aug. 1 could turn into a class action. That suit accuses Boar’s Head of improperly, deceptively, and misleadingly labeling and marketing its products by failing to communicate the full extent of the possible Listeria contamination.

The other lawsuit was filed by a Missouri couple claiming Boar’s Head sold the deli meats that caused the wife to become “deathly ill.”