Listeriais in Starbucks sandwiches now.

How do you avoid something that shows up in such random places?

About a quarter ofListeriainfections in pregnant peopleend in miscarriage, stillbirth, or death of the newborn.

The only bright spot here is thatListeriainfection is rare.

It causes1600 illnesses and 260 deaths in the US each year, which is not a lot.

But if you do become infected, and dont seek help right away, the odds are against you.

Whenever theres aListeriaoutbreak, 27% of the affected people are pregnant women.

coli, for example, wont grow all over your turkey slices while they sit in the fridge.

That said, althoughListeriais the queen of the refrigerator, its easily killed by heat.

If youve cooked your food to temperatures that will killE.

coliorSalmonella(the more common bugs in meat and poultry), anyListeriatagging along would be long gone.

But latelyListeriahas been turning up in many, many more places.

With the Starbucks sandwiches, for example, the factory foundListeriaon some surfaces and issued the recall.

Still, there are plenty of outbreaks of actual illness, including the ones in the list above.

But here we have a bit of good news: its still possible to enjoy these foods.

Deli meat, for example, can be reheated to destroyListeria.

So you dont have to give up brie after all.

Beware of homemade or small-batch soft cheeses, though.

Chapman recommends asking small-scale food producers about theirListeriamanagement plan.

If they dont know what youre talking about, dont eat their cheese.

Theres Not Much you might Do Besides Cook Everything

What can someone do?

Not a whole heck of a lot, Chapman said.

I was really hoping he could give me a new set of rules that would make avoidingListeriaeasy.

Cook whatever food you could (so, not ice cream) torecommended temperatures.

Thats 165 degrees Fahrenheit for most items.

The high temps will killListeriaand other germs too.

The risk ofListeriawill be out there no matter what you do.

How much should you worry?

Thats really up to you.

The last time I was pregnant, there was aListeriaoutbreaklinked to my favorite brand of hummus.

They said it was just certain batches, but I didnt eat hummus for the entire nine months.

Thats in addition to forgoing alcohol and contact sports.

Thank you,Listeria, for making pregnancy even more of a time of deprivation.

Ultimately you have to set your own rules.

Illustration by Sam Woolley.