ARLINGTON, Va. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that someone has died in Virginia due to a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats. 

According to the CDC update, the outbreak has now claimed three lives. 

The most recent victim, an adult aged 65 or older, was from Virginia’s Eastern Health Region, which includes Virginia Beach and Norfolk. The Virginia Department of Health has not released further details about the individual.

Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security emphasized the seriousness of the situation. 

“It’s not surprising. This is a widespread outbreak, and it involves a very commonly consumed food product,” Dr. Adalja told FOX 5. “When you think about listeria, it’s important to remember that it is the most deadly of the foodborne infections that we know.”

Dr. Adalja stressed the importance of taking this outbreak seriously and warned that more illnesses are likely in the coming weeks. “People might have contaminated deli meats in their fridge, and they might be making sandwiches with them today,” he added.

The CDC reports that a total of 43 people have been affected by the outbreak. 

Boar’s Head sent FOX 5 a statement Thursday saying, “Food safety is our top priority, and we express our deepest sympathies for the affected families. As soon as we learned that our liverwurst was linked to the outbreak, we voluntarily expanded our recall, as a precautionary measure, to include all other products made at the same facility. We are conducting a full review of processes and procedures to ensure we consistently meet the highest standards of safety and quality.”