Maryland medical experts explain how to protect yourself from nationwide listeria outbreak
BALTIMORE -- You may want to think twice before unwrapping that deli meat in your fridge. A nationwide listeria outbreak is impacting Maryland with eight reported cases, according to the CDC.
The CDC is advising families to not eat Boar's Head products after they were contaminated with listeria.
Federal regulators handed out several violations at the Boar's Head plant in Virginia that prompted a nationwide recall of its deli meats because of listeria found near the production lines.
This listeria outbreak has caused 57 people to become ill in the United States and killed nine others.
Listeria is a bacteria that can survive in cold environments, like deli meats in your fridge. If you eat contaminated food, you could experience gut problems like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
"Listeria is typically an infection that can be transmitted through contaminated food such as these deli meats," said Dr. Kjell Wiberg, the Director of Infectious Diseases at Sinai.
People who are 65 and older, pregnant or immunocompromised are more at risk of having listeria spread from their gut to other parts of their body.
This is especially important for pregnant women, who doctors say should stay away from all deli meats to avoid complications and sickness. For everyone else, medical experts say they should stop eating the recalled food.
"You will probably notice symptoms within the first couple of days," Wiberg said. "If you had a piece of meat two weeks ago, I don't think you need to worry, but this is something that happened just recently and you're concerned, first of all, don't continue to eat that meat."
Records released by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service reveal 69 records of "non-compliances" flagged by the agency over the past year at the Boar's Head plant in Virginia.
University of Maryland Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Dr. Kathryn Schlaffer said there are no eyeball or sniff tests you can do to determine if your food is contaminated.
It's best to toss out the food or heat it.
"Heating anything to 165 Fahrenheit, internal temperature," Schlaffer said. "So, if sandwiches are really, really a part of your life and you can't break away from it, at least ensure that you can get it up to a safe temp."
To avoid cross-contamination, clean your fridge, containers or any surfaces contaminated food may have touched.
"I hate food waste but I think the answer is when in doubt, throw it out," Schlaffer said. "Otherwise, if you are not able to heat it to a safe internal temperature, I think the answer is to reduce your risk and avoid it altogether."
If you are experiencing any symptoms or think you came in contact with listeria, she advises you to call your doctor and get tested.