People in multiple states are getting sick after eating contaminated meats and cheeses. Six states are linked to a listeria outbreak including California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois. Illnesses and death are said to have been attributed to this listeriosis outbreak.

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Listeriosis is an infection brought on by eating listeria-contaminated food. Those at the most risk of contracting the illness are newborns, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women.

The symptoms for pregnant women can include a fever and other flu-like symptoms like fatigue and muscle aches, or worse, according to the CDC.

Infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

Symptoms for older adults or people with weakened immune systems can include headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions along with fever and muscle aches.

What's To Blame The Listeria Outbreak In Illinois?

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Listeria is often attributed to lunch meats and cheeses sold at deli counters. The listeria germ can be spread among the food through contaminated meat slicers, surfaces, countertops, and human contact.

Listeria is a hardy germ that can be difficult to fully remove once it is in the deli. It can survive and grow at cold temperatures in the refrigerator. (CDC)

Pinpointing where and how the outbreak began is no easy task even for the CDC. Simply put, all it takes is one contaminated food item to start the spread.

- Illnesses: 16

- Hospitalizations: 13

- Deaths: 1

States: 6

- Recall: No

How Long Does It Take For Symptoms To Begin?

This is kind of crazy. Some people have reported listeria symptoms starting as far out as 70 days after exposure and as quickly as the same day. However, most symptoms are reported 1 to 4 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria.

LOOK: The 10 largest product recalls of the last decade

Estey & Bomberger, LLP compiled a list of the top 10 product recalls since 2007, ranked based on the number of product units recalled in the U.S.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

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