Hard lessons from listeriosis outbreak

THE HEALTH Department’s declaration that the listeriosis outbreak is over will come as good news to consumers and the company whose factory was fingered as the source of the outbreak.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has announced that it’s now safe to start using ready-to-eat processed meat products.

Listeriosis, the disease caused by the bacteria listeria monocytogenes, is normally not a problem for healthy adults. But some people are more vulnerable to listeria infections, including those over the age of 65, pregnant women, unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.

The outbreak which has just ended, the world’s deadliest, claimed more than 200 lives between January 2017 and July this year, with more than 1 000 cases identified, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Almost 6000 tons of recalled meat was destroyed, and the manufacturers, Tiger Brands, lost millions as operations stopped and insurance claims mounted.

Listeria can occur in soil and water and in some animals, including poultry and cattle. It can be present in raw milk.

In Britain earlier this year, six of the most popular supermarkets were forced to recall various frozen vegetable products due to concerns over possible contamination.

According to the European Food Safety Authority, there have been 47 cases of listeriosis in Europe as of June 8, nine of which have resulted in death.

In Australia, people have died and 12 others have fallen ill after eating contaminated melons.

An estimated 1 600 people worldwide get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die, according to the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most effective way to combat listeriosis, like many other harmful diseases, is vigilance and swift action once contamination or infection is discovered.

Many hard lessons were learnt with the listeriosis outbreak.