An infant in California has died after consuming a ready-to-eat meat that was infected with a deadly foodborne bacterial illness.
The baby's devastating death is one of many linked to the foodborne bacterial illness known as listeria, which currently ranks third in leading causes of death from foodborne illness in the US.
Yu Shang Food Inc.'s ready-to-eat meat products were revealed as the root of the outbreak as interviews with infected people and laboratory findings have shown that the company's meat and poultry products have made people sick.
Eleven people infected with this outbreak strain have been reported from four different states, as per a Friday Centers for Disease Control and Prevention release.
Of the 11 people infected, nine have been hospitalized.
The items in question have since been recalled, however some items may still remain in people's refrigerators or freezers.
Other foods have also been linked to the outbreak, as the high-risk food recall has been expanded 15-fold by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to involve a total of 72,240 pounds of meat products.
Examples of recalled foods include pork hock, chicken feet, pork feet, duck neck, beef shank, and pork tongue, the CDC announced.
Listeria can be contracted by eating or handling contaminated food or touching contaminated surfaces and utensils.
The ready-to-eat meat products were revealed as the root of the outbreak as interviews with infected people and laboratory findings have shown that Yu-Shang Food's ready-to-eat meat and poultry products have made people sick
Other foods have also been linked to the outbreak, as the high-risk food recall has been expanded 15-fold by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to involve a total of 72,240 pounds of meat products
Symptoms of a listeria infection typically appear within 2 weeks after consuming the contaminated product but can start as early as the same day, or as late as 10 weeks after.
Those infected with the could-be deadly disease include a fever, muscle aches, tiredness, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures, as per the CDC.
'The foodborne illness is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems.
'This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of the body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis,' the CDC said.
To best avoid infection it is important to properly clean your refrigerator, containers and surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled foods.
The harmful bacteria can survive in the refrigerator and can very easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
In an exclusive DailyMail.com interview, a man infected with the bacteria detailed what its 'really like' to get sick with the foodborne illness.
The company recently recalled 4,589 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products because of a possible listeria contamination. Pictured: The Yu Shang Food Inc. building in Spartanburg, South Carolina
Listeria can be contracted by eating or handling contaminated food or touching contaminated surfaces and utensils. Those infected with the could-be deadly disease include a fever, muscle aches, and tiredness as well as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures, as per the CDC. Pictured: Bacteria listeria
Michael Silberman, 86, from Florida, contracted listeria earlier this year which led to brain swelling, causing seizures so severe doctors had to sedate him for weeks.
He is now only able to move around the house with a walker, and can't drive, grocery shop, shower or take care of his wife Barbara, who suffers from arthritis.
He claims he caught the bug after eating a sandwich containing sliced turkey made by Boar's Head that was part of a major recall linked to listeria.
Silberman is suing the food giant, claiming the meat led to a listeria infection that became meningitis, causing severe brain damage.
His age makes him particularly vulnerable to listeria, but so does being pregnant, taking immunosuppressant drugs because they block the body's ability to fight the infection.
To learn more about the outbreak or about cases in a particular state, the CDC advises to call that state’s health department.