Two people are dead and many sickened from a listeria outbreak linked to deli meats, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
Health officials said there are two deaths and 28 reports of illness in 12 states, including Georgia, tied to the outbreak. The deaths were reported in New Jersey and Illinois. Illnesses have also been reported in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and beyond.
According to the CDC, many people sickened in the outbreak reported eating meats sliced at deli counters. “We do not have information to show that people are getting sick from prepackaged deli meats,” the CDC said in a statement.
Of 28 patients with information available, all have been hospitalized. One person became sick while pregnant and remained pregnant after recovering, the CDC said.
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“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” health officials said in a news release. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported, as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”
Samples were collected from sick patients between May 29 and July 5. Patients have ranged in age from age 32 to 94, with a median age of 75.
State and local health officials are interviewing patients about foods they ate in the month before becoming ill.
“People are reporting eating a variety of meats sliced at deli counters. Of the 18 people able to be interviewed, 16 (89%) reported eating meats sliced at a deli, most commonly deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst, and ham,” the CDC said. “Meats were sliced at a variety of supermarket and grocery store delis.”
An analysis showed people sickened in the outbreak were more likely to have eaten deli-sliced turkey and liverwurst.
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“This information suggests that meats sliced at the deli are a likely source of this outbreak,” the CDC said, but added the agency doesn’t have enough information to say which deli meats are the source of the outbreak.
In 2022, another listeria outbreak that officials believed was linked to deli meat and cheese sickened at least two people in Illinois and killed a Maryland resident.
The CDC advises people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system to contact their healthcare provider if they have any ts sliced at the deli unless they are heated before eating.
The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia opened a new 63,000-square-foot facility at 890 Newton Bridge Road, on Thursday, July 18. The ribbon cutting took place at 4 p.m. with several keynote speakers, including Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz, Deputy Commissioner Rusty Haygood from the Department of Community Affairs, Danah Craft from Feeding Georgia, Kevin Price from Kevin Price Construction and Board Chair of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia Billy Porter.
The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, which has been in existence for over 30 years, works with more than 200 member organizations to annually distribute more than 11 million pounds of food across the 15-county region, totaling about 9.3 million meals for people in Northeast Georgia. According to the FBNEGA, the need for food assistance has never been higher as one in seven people and one in six children in Northeast Georgia are at risk of food insecurity. The new food bank expanded the capacity by 65% to connect more people with food.
The event began with words of gratitude from CEO Erin Barger.
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“This moment is surreal. It is proof that there is a being in the universe that blesses us beyond our imagination,” Barger said. “This last fiscal year the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia has mobilized more pounds of food than any year in history because of these 32 people that I am honored to call my colleagues.”
This new facility was a $15 million project, helped by a $8.9 million grant from the Department of Community Affairs. Feeding Georgia was also involved, helping facilitate $65 million into food banks all across the state.
“I find it consistently true that no good thing happens by just one individual alone,” Girtz said. “We have at least four public sector institutions who joined together to make this happen, maybe hundreds of volunteers and partner entities across all of northeast Georgia.”
The ribbon cutting was a community-oriented project that came to fruition through a team effort. The director of development for the food bank, Kelly Klein, said there are many ways the community can continue to help.
“We would love for people to volunteer, go to our website to sign up and donate funds,” Klein said. “Every dollar donated helps us provide three balanced meals to the community. And people can also donate food, whether they grow food at home, no matter how big or how small any donation is appreciated.”
Several Georgia environmental organizations are pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce national standards that would prevent Georgia Power from disposing of coal ash waste in a way that pollutes groundwater.
The Southern Environmental Law Center requested this week that the EPA revoke the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s state coal ash residuals program that’s been used to approve Georgia Power’s cleanup plans for storing toxic waste left behind by power plants after decades of burning coal for energy.
The petition was filed Thursday on behalf of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, Altamaha Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Sierra Club and others. The petition says that state and federal environmental officials are failing to protect the public from unsafe drinking water and pollute nearby rivers, lakes, and streams.
Two months ago, environmentalists in Georgia cheered the EPA’s denying Alabama’s application for a state-run coal ash program, but since then frustration has grown over why the same rules that are being enforced in 49 states aren’t being followed in Georgia.
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According to petitioners, Georgia Power plans to dump 33 million tons of toxic coal ash in unlined pits submerged in groundwater unless federal regulations are enforced. Georgia Power has retired most of the 11 coal-fired electricity generating plants that were scattered across the state in recent years, but the company plans to store the toxic waste from several others in ash ponds on the old sites.
“Despite years of discussions, Georgia EPD refuses to withdraw its Plant Hammond permit, while closures of much larger, more deeply submerged ash ponds are underway or completed at Plant Scherer in Juliette near Macon, Plant Yates near Newnan, and at Plant McDonough near Atlanta,” the letter says.
The federal Coal Ash Rule of 2015 required utilities to close or retrofit unlined ash ponds within six months if their levels of ash waste exceeded certain pollutant limits. A section of the 2015 rule allowed states to run their own coach ash disposal programs.
Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma were given permission to run their own programs, but Georgia is now the only one in which state officials are ignoring the federal rules that prohibit sealing the waste in unlined pits where ash can contaminate groundwater, said Fletcher Sams, the executive director of the Altamaha Riverkeeper, which is opposing Georgia Power’s ash disposal plans at Plant Scherer in Juliette.
Alabama residents should not be better protected from coal ash toxins than Georgians, Sams said.
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“The only state that is issuing illegal permits is the state of Georgia,” Sams said. “In my mind, whether it’s purposeful or not, the people of Juliette are being left out of this administration’s environmental justice priorities. They need action, not more empty promises.”
An EPA spokeswoman said that it is reviewing the petition in response to an emailed seeking comment Thursday from the Georgia Recorder.
Georgia EPD spokeswoman Sara Lips said that the state and federal agencies are having ongoing discussions about the latest developments on coal ash regulations and that the EPD’s program is committed to ensuring its program protects the public and environment.
Georgia Power spokesman John Kraft said the company intends to continue to make sure that its ash pond closures protect the environment and public.
Georgia’s state coal combustion residuals program was approved by EPA with oversight from Georgia EPD following a lengthy public comment and participation period, Kraft said.
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“We know that EPD and EPA are continuing discussions on our permit applications, industry developments, and interpretations of the most recent rule,” Kraft said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to work with EPD to ensure closure plans across our facilities remain in compliance with state and federal rules.”
On June 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., affirmed the EPA’s rule prohibition on closing coal ash dumps with ash sitting in groundwater. In addition, the EPA has been sued for denying an ash disposal permit extension at Ohio’s Gen. James Gavin Power Plant, whose operators argued the EPA was retroactively applying a new rule.
It’s time for federal intervention in Georgia since the state environmental protection agency continues to side with the fossil fuel industry, said Frank Holleman, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney.
“Georgia EPD has made it clear that it will not follow the law and protect Georgia’s clean water and communities from toxic coal ash pollution,” Holleman said in a statement. “EPA is charged with overseeing EPD’s program, and we need EPA to step in to protect Georgia’s rivers and neighborhoods, because EPD will not.”
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A one-time infusion of cash in this year’s budget will put transportation projects on a fast track. On Thursday, the Georgia Department of Transportation unveiled their plans at a board meeting.
More than 40 projects were selected. Gov. Brian Kemp pushed for the money in this year’s state budget using the state’s $16 billion surplus.
A one-time addition of $1.5 billion will be split across multiple categories. The plans outline $98 million for airport aid, $250 million for local road projects, $500 million for a freight program, $593 million for capital construction, and $50 million for capital maintenance.
“It’s going to be a shot in the arm for our state to really move projects along, make sure that we’re working on our freight and logistics to move goods and services from places like the Port of Savannah, out of our airports, and just keep our economy moving in the state, as well as our people,” said Kemp on Thursday.
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The projects identified can be found here. The I-16 interchange in Savannah, SR 20 in Forsyth County, and the I-16/I-75 interchange in Macon will receive the most funding.
“The No. 1 state to build and grow a business, Georgia is not slowing down in our goal to increase economic opportunities,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. “Investing surplus budget funds in existing and future transportation infrastructure is critical to ensure our businesses can expand, goods and services can be transported, and our citizens arrive safely to their destinations. I want to thank Governor Kemp, Speaker Burns and Commissioner McMurry for their partnership to keep Georgia moving forward.”
