WARNING – Metro urges community to avoid ready-to-eat meat in wake of 22 confirmed cases of #Listeriosis in Ekurhuleni
The metro has urged Ekurhuleni residents to avoid all ready-to-eat food products such as viennas, russians, frankfurters, sausages and cold meats following Listeriosis outbreak link to Germiston.
Residents across Ekurhuleni have been warned to avoid all ready-to-eat food products.
This follows an announcement by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) that the listeriosis outbreak, which has to date claimed 180 lives nationwide, has been traced to originate from food products from the Enterprise facility in Germiston and Polokwane.
“The metro’s environmental health practitioners also conducted tests which also confirmed this finding.
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“Since November last year, laboratory tests confirmed 22 cases of listeriosis in Ekurhuleni comprising of 10 adults and 12 four-week-old and younger infants,” said Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the metro.
While Enterprise has committed to recalling all affected products, pregnant women, new-born babies, elderly people and anyone with a weakened immune system are strongly advised to stay clear of all processed food products.
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Listeria is a bacterium that is naturally found in the environment and commonly occurs in soil, water, vegetation and in the faeces of some animals.
The bacterium can contaminate a wide variety of food types, including meat and meat products, dairy products pasteurised and unpasteurised, fresh and frozen produce (fruits, vegetables and sprouts) and ready-to-eat products.
The metro has advised that to prevent the spread of listeria, basic hygiene should be followed along with the following measures:
• Thoroughly cooking raw foods from animal sources, such as beef, pork or poultry.
• Washing hands before preparing food, before eating and after going to the toilet.
• Washing and sanitisation of kitchen surfaces and utensils regularly, particularly after preparing raw meat, poultry and eggs, including industrial kitchens.
• Washing raw vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating.
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