Another death has been linked to the current listeria outbreak that is sweeping across Canada, raising the total death toll to nine, health officials said Friday.

The death happened in the western province of British Columbia, where a total of two people have died of the disease. The other six deaths occurred in Ontario province.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there are 29 confirmed cases of the outbreak strain in the country and 35 cases under investigation.

The outbreak originated from the tainted meat products of Maple Leaf Foods, Canada's biggest food company. The company has closed down its Toronto facility and issued a recall of 220 products.

Many other food products including sandwiches and wraps which contain Maple Leaf meat products have also been recalled. On Friday, more than 50 products were added to the recall list.

Listeriosis can cause flu-like symptoms, such as a stiff neck, headache, nausea and fever. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of being infected.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2008)