Listeria outbreak linked to deli meat leaves 2 dead, 28 hospitalized: What to know

Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story misstated the location of an outbreak death. A death was reported in New Jersey.

A listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meat has led to two deaths and 28 hospitalizations across the Midwest and East Coast, federal health officials revealed.

People have reportedly become ill from the bacteria that can lead to foodborne illnesses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. The case sampled were collected between May 29 and July 5.

One person died in Illinois, as the state's sole reported case, and another person died in New Jersey, according to CDC data .

Listeria is particularly concerning for those are pregnant, anyone 65 or older or are immuno-compromised. Listeria in pregnant women can cause miscarriage. Others can also be infected with listeria but rarely become seriously ill, according to the CDC.

What states were listeria reported in?

• New York: 7
• Maryland: 6
• Missouri: 2
• Virginia: 2
• Georgia: 2
• Minnesota: 1
• Wisconsin: 1
• Illinois: 1
• Pennsylvania: 1
• North Carolina: 1
• Massachusetts: 2

What meat did they eat?

CDC officials said 16 of 18 patients ate meats sliced at deli counters primarily deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst and ham.

The health agency is investigating what types of meat may be contaminated but said there is no evidence that prepackaged deli meats gave people listeria .

How old were the patients?

The ages of the sick people range between 32 and 94 with the median being 75, CDC data showed.

The majority (72%) of the patients identified as white while 23% identified as Black or African American and 5% as Asian.

What is listeria?

Listeria is a genus of bacteria that cause severe illness when it spreads from the gut to other parts of the body.

Symptoms, which typically start a week to four weeks after eating contaminated food, include headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, fever and muscle aches. Symptoms can also start as early as the same day or up to 70 days after.

Anyone who is at a higher risk of getting sick from listeria should avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters unless the meat is heated up to 165 degrees or is steaming hot, the CDC recommends.

Anyone who shows symptoms of listeria after recently eating sliced deli meat should contact a health provider.

Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Listeria outbreak linked to deli meat leaves 2 dead, 28 hospitalized: What to know