Six extra individuals have died and greater than a dozen have been sickened in a multistate listeria outbreak stemming from Boar’s Head deli meat, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned in an replace Wednesday.

The variety of deaths is now 9, and 57 individuals have been hospitalized because the outbreak, which the CDC mentioned was the most important listeriosis outbreak since 2011, when greater than 30 individuals died from affected cantaloupe. The outbreak has been reported in 18 states.

On July 25, Boar’s Head recalled its Strassburger Model Liverwurst over issues it contained the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The meat was produced at its Jarratt, Virginia, facility.

The recall was expanded days later to incorporate 7 million kilos of meat, which the corporate mentioned is each merchandise produced on the facility.

“Meals security is our absolute precedence, and the well being and well-being of our shoppers are paramount,” Boar’s Head mentioned in an Aug. 15 replace. “We deeply remorse the influence this recall has had on affected households. No phrases can absolutely specific our sympathies and the honest and deep harm we really feel for individuals who have suffered losses or endured sickness.”

The deaths have occurred in Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, South Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia. The unwell sufferers had been 32 to 94 years outdated, with a median age of 77.

Knowledge exhibits meats sliced at delis, together with Boar’s Head model liverwurst, had been contaminated with listeria. The micro organism are unfold simply amongst deli gear, surfaces, palms and meals, the CDC mentioned. Refrigeration doesn’t kill them.

Signs embody fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic. If the listeria an infection spreads to the nervous system, signs can embody stiff neck, headache and lack of steadiness. Listeria could be very severe for individuals with weakened immune techniques, pregnant girls and folks over 65.