2 deaths in South Carolina linked to Boar’s Head deli meat listeria outbreak

SOUTH CAROLINA — Two deaths in South Carolina are linked to a listeria outbreak that triggered a recall of Boar’s Head deli meat, health officials said.

The two people who died were from the Lowcountry region of the state, the South Carolina Department of Public Health said in a news release Wednesday.

They said the recalled deli meat might have contributed to the deaths.

Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. believes 71 of its products, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, could be contaminated with listeria. The recalled products were made between May 10 and July 29 and were sold under either the Boar’s Head or Old Country brands. They have sell-by dates between July 19 and Oct. 17.

Boar’s Head Ready-to-Eat Liverwurst Products and other deli products from the same processing plant have been recalled.

The FSIS categorized the recall as a Class I and “unfit for human consumption.” A Class I recall is considered high or medium risk.

“This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death,” the classification reads.

The list of recalled items can be found here.

The CDC has been investigating the listeria outbreak, which has led to 43 hospitalizations and three deaths across 13 states as of Aug. 8. This does not include the two deaths in South Carolina.

State epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell says that even though 7 million pounds of Boar’s Head products have been pulled from store shelves nationwide, the products may still be in homes and the bacteria can live on surfaces.

“If anyone has recalled meat in their home, they should discard that and clean any surfaces in the fridge that have come into contact with deli meat,” Bell said.

Local parent Molly Meire says her kids love deli meat.

“I usually pack it in the kids’ lunches,” she said. “Definitely, my son’s favorite lunch is a deli meat sandwich.”

Meire recently learned about the listeria outbreak and will take more steps to keep her family safe.

“I think I’ll probably steer clear of it until I know it is safe to eat,” the mother said.

To avoid listeria, the DPH and CDC recommend the following steps:

• Do not eat recalled meats. Throw them away or contact stores about returns.
• Check your refrigerator for any recalled deli meats and throw them away or return them to the store. Listeria can grow on foods kept in the refrigerator.
• Clean your refrigerator, containers and surfaces that may have touched recalled meats.

Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older or who have weakened immune systems.

Listeria symptoms include fever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or seizures. Symptoms start within two weeks of eating listeria-contaminated food but can start the same day or as late as 10 weeks after, the CDC said.

If you have questions, you can call Boar’s Head at 800-352-6277.

The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

(WATCH BELOW: Recall alert: Boar’s Head expands recall to 71 products, 7 million pounds)

Recall alert: Boar’s Head expands recall to 71 products, 7 million pounds

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