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NMDOH says it was elderly Bernalillo County woman who died from listeria tied to tainted deli meats
State public health officials have identified an elderly Bernalillo County woman as the person who died after being infected by listeria in a nationwide outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats.
The state Environment Department also reports that the suspect meats have been removed from all New Mexico grocery stores on the manufacturer’s distribution list, the NMDOH said.
The New Mexico Department of Health said the discovery of severe listeria-related illnesses led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to open an investigation in mid-July.
“Boar’s Head brand deli meats have since been linked to 57 listeria cases in 18 U.S. states,” the NMDOH said of the outbreak. “All 57 people were hospitalized with eight deaths reported, including the death in New Mexico.”
Listeria is a bacterial infection from contaminated foods. “In most cases, people exposed may experience no more than mild gastrointestinal illness,” Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer of the New Mexico Department of Health, said in a news release on Thursday. “However, people aged 65 or older, pregnant people or people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for serious illness.”
The Department of Health asks residents to check their homes for any remaining recalled Boar’s Head products as they can have a long shelf life. People are advised to look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels. Some of the products have sell by dates into October 2024.
