Twenty-one deaths in new listeriosis cases not a cause for panic – NICD

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reportedly said 87 cases of listeriosis have been confirmed.

However, the NICD said these should not cause South Africans to panic, IOL reports.

The NICD said since it was announced that the outbreak had come to an end in September last year, 87 cases had been reported in South Africa.

The NICD said it was investigating 61 cases out of the 87 reported ones and that 21 people had died.

Gauteng had the highest number of cases reported, 31, while 23 were reported in the Western Cape and 16 in KwaZulu-Natal.

The NICD said ages ranged from birth to 80 years, while 57% of the cases reported involved females.

Of the cases reported, 36% were pregnancy-associated.

Four cases were of children aged from one month to 14 years, the NICD said.

Over 180 cases were reported from the food-borne disease earlier last year.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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