Dr Dulcy on listeriosis
DEADLY: TO CERTAIN PEOPLE, THE DISEASE CAN PROVE FATAL IF NOT PROPERLY TREATED
Between January and November 2017, there were 557 laboratory-confirmed cases in South Africa.
Listeriosis is a serious but treatable and preventable disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. It is a food-borne bacterial illness that can be very serious for children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems.
The most common sources of infection are improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products.
Listeria bacteria can survive refrigeration and even freezing.
Healthy people rarely become ill from listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies and newborns. People who have weakened immune systems are also at higher risk of life-threatening complications.
Prompt antibiotic treatment can help curb the effects of listeria infection.
We have what looks like a listeriosis outbreak in South Africa. The proportion of cases is too high and indicate that “the source of the outbreak is likely to be a food product that is widely distributed and consumed by people across all socio-economic groups,” said the health minister.
Between January 1 and November 29, 2017, there were 557 laboratory-confirmed listeriosis cases that had been reported in all provinces. Most cases were reported from Gauteng with 345 (62%) cases, followed by the Western Cape with 71 cases (13%) and KwaZulu-Natal with 37 cases (7%).
Out of the 557 cases, the department was certain of the final outcome for 70 cases. Of these 70 cases, 36 people died. Thirty-four percent of the patients were from the private health facilities and 66% were from public facilities.
As of March 2018, we have reports of traces of listeriosis found at Enterprise Foods’ factories and at Rainbow Chicken in what has become the world’s worst-ever listeria outbreak. A number of Southern African countries (Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana) have even banned imports of processed meat from South Africa due to the deadly listeriosis outbreak.
People are now advised to consume the products known to be putting them at risk with extreme caution and follow the preventative measures mentioned below.
If you experience fever, muscle aches, nausea or diarrhoea, contact your nearest health provider. The same goes for illness after eating a potentially contaminated product, such as foods made with unpasteurized milk or poorly heated hot dogs or deli meats.
If you experience a high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion or sensitivity to light, seek emergency care. water before and after handling or preparing food. After cooking, use hot, soapy water to wash the utensils, cutting board and other food preparation surfaces.
Clean raw vegetables with a scrubbing brush or vegetable brush under plenty of running water.
Cook your food thoroughly. Heat kills this bacteria. Make sure your meat, poultry and egg dishes are cooked to a safe temperature.
Don’t eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue cheese or Mexican-style cheeses unless it is clear from the packaging that the product was made using pasteurized milk.
Avoid hot dogs, luncheon meats and deli meats, unless they’re reheated until steaming hot or fried. Keep fluid from hot dog packages away from other foods, utensils and food preparation surfaces. Wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats or deli meats.
Don’t eat refrigerated pates or meat spreads. Don’t eat refrigerated smoked seafood.