A third person has died in the outbreak of listeria in Boar's Head deli meats and 43 people have been hospitalized with the deadly illness, according to federal health officials.
The latest death occurred in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The previous deaths happened in New Jersey and Illinois.
The 43 people in hospitals include 10 new hospitalizations across 13 states, it said.
Boar's Head in July began recalling Strassburger Brand Liverwurst because of potential contamination along with other deli meats produced at its Jarratt, Va., facility.
The company expanded that recall on July 30 to include 7 million pounds of deli meats.
Two lawsuits have been filed against Boar's Head because of the outbreak.
The CDC has a list of all the items recalled on its website.
"Products sold at the deli, especially those sliced or prepared at the deli, can be contaminated with Listeria. Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands, and food," the agency said in a statement.
"Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating to a high enough temperature before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats," it said.
The CDC said listeria is "especially harmful" to people who are pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system.
The CDC recommends that people do not eat the recalled products, check their refrigerators for any meats on the recall list and throw them away, and clean their refrigerators, containers and surfaces that may have come in contact with the meats.
