Deadly listeria outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads declared over

(WAND) - Federal officials declared an end to a deadly listeria outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak started causing people to get sick in 2014. The 18 people who became sick were from 13 states and ranged in age from 50 to 94, with at least 16 taken to hospitals. Three people were killed.

The CDC noted the number of reported sick people does not necessarily represent a total number of people who got listeria as a result of the outbreak.

Listeria can cause symptoms including fever, muscle aches, headaches and loss of balance, among others. Symptoms are typically noticed about one to four weeks after someone eats a contaminated food, the CDC said.

According to NBC News, the outbreak strain was discovered by Dole on a piece of its equipment at a Yuma, Ariz., facility. Dole then issued a recall in December for salads from the Arizona facility and from Bessemer City, N.C.