Why your children’s back-to-school lunch box staples may be dangerous
South Africa’s eruption of listeria cases has claimed more than 60 lives and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called it the world’s biggest outbreak of the food-borne illness, according to a podcast interview with WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier recorded by the United Nations News Centre.
Listeria is caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which occurs in soil, water, plants and the faeces of some animals. Few foods are above suspicion as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) continues to try to trace the source of the outbreak.
Since October, about 750 laboratory-confirmed cases have been recorded largely among people with compromised immune systems, such as people with HIV and diabetes, those undergoing chemotherapy, pregnant women and newborn babies. Almost 40% of cases have occurred among infants younger than a month.
But older, school-going children, whose bodies are better equipped to fight off diseases because their immune systems are more developed, made up only 4% of the cases, says Juno Thomas, head of the NICD’s Centre For Enteric Diseases.Here are three habits you can adopt to limit your family’s chances of contracting listeria.
1. Scrub counters and hands
Listeria monocytogenes is a stubborn organism, says Thomas. She explains: “Once the bacteria settles on a surface, it produces a layer of slime that sticks it down firmly.” Make sure that kitchen surfaces and hands are clean before preparing food. Everyone should wash their hands before eating.
WHO food safety guidelines recommend knives and forks, cutting boards and drying cloths should be cleaned with boiling water and a sanitising agent such as bleach. This helps to avoid cross-contamination and prevents bacteria from being transferred. And wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly.
2. Get cooking more often
Until the NICD knows more, meat, poultry, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, and ready-to-eat lunchbox staples such as viennas, polony and cold meat could be culprits fuelling the listeria outbreak.
The bacteria can survive in fridge and freezer temperatures, so any meat must be cooked, an NICD statement warns.
3. Watch out for symptoms
Symptoms of listeria infection can start to show anywhere between six hours and 70 days after eating contaminated food, Thomas says.
Most children with healthy immune systems won’t get sick. If they do, they’re likely to develop symptoms of gastroenteritis such as fever and diarrhoea, which will typically pass without the need for medical attention unless their immune systems are weak.
In severe cases the bacteria can cause blood poisoning or bacterial meningitis, a potentially deadly inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord. A fever, severe headaches, sensitivity to light and confusion are signs of bacterial meningitis, says the United States medical research nonprofit the Mayo Clinic.