Listeriosis: 7 things you should know
Following the confirmation of the source of the world's largest outbreak of listeriosis here in South Africa, you may not be as clued up as you'd like to be about this serious, but treatable and preventable disease.
Here are 7 things you should know about listeriosis:
1. It is caused by the bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes and is widely distributed in nature and can be found in soil, water and vegetation.
2. According to health.gov.za, both animal products and fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables can be contaminated from these sources.
3. As a type of food poisoning, the flu-like symptoms centre around diarrhoea, nausea and include fever, general body pain, vomiting and weakness.
4. Health.gov.za cites infection of the blood stream, called septaceamia, as well as meningoencephalitis as other conditions which may prevail.
5. High-risk groups include newborns in their first 28 days of life, pregnant women and their unborn babies; the elderly and those with compromised immunity due to HIV, diabetes, cancer and chronic liver or kidney conditions.
6. At this point in time, Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken processed meat production plants have been identified as the source of contaminated products including polony, viennas, russians and other ready to eat meat products.
7. While major retailers have vowed to refund any opened or unopened product produced by these manufacturers, it is important for consumers to discard all opened and unopened products separately by double-bagging it. Wash down the inside of your fridge with a bleach product to minimise the risk of contaminating other foods.
