HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – A major deli meat recall remains in effect after 57 people in 18 states were hospitalized and nine people died due to a listeria outbreak.

Experts believe that the listeria outbreak will continue to worsen before it improves.

It can take up to ten weeks for symptoms of listeria infection to develop, so it’s possible that many more people have eaten tainted meat and just don’t know it yet.

Some infections are mild, but those most at risk are pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems or people who are addicted to alcohol.

So far, Boar’s Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of its meat: liverwurst, ham, sausage, bologna, hot dogs and bacon. The bacteria have been traced to a plant in Virginia.

The Department of Agriculture reports 69 violations at the facility last year. Inspectors said they found mold, dead and live insects, and pools of blood.

ABC13’s Briana Conner spoke with Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor, about the outbreak.

You can watch the full interview with Dr. Adalja in the video player above.

“It’s really unbelievable that there is this level of lack of maintenance with so many violations. I think the area needs to understand why this was not detected by normal security systems,” said Dr. Adalja. “People need to be held accountable for such serious failures that have cost people their lives.”

Boar’s Head representatives have apologized and said they are working to prevent this from happening again. Consumers who find potentially infected products are advised to return them to the place they were purchased or throw them away.

For updates on this story, follow Briana Conner on Facebook, Þjórsárdalur and Instagram.

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