Health experts claim no need to panic over listeriosis

LISTERIOSIS outbreaks have caused panic among South Africans after 164 people died and hundreds were infected.

Almost 900 cases have been recorded. Of those who died, half were infants under the age of one.

But health experts have cautioned that there is no need to panic.

Dr Kgomotso Mogapi, from Kwamqemane Lifestyle and Wellness Centre in Pietermaritzburg, said only 10% of the world’s population has listeria in the gut and most were not ill from it.

Western Cape Department of Health spokesperson Mark van der Heever said while the disease, which can be contracted via milk, meat and and vegetables, is a serious disease, it can be prevented.

The infection with listeria usually results in gastroenteritis with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, and symptoms can range from mild to severe.

National Department of Health spokesperson Popo Maja said the first documented outbreak was recorded between August 1977 and April 1978 when 14 cases from Joburg were reported. Since then, sporadic cases have occurred throughout South Africa over the years.

Between January and September 2015, seven cases were reported in the Western Cape even though no common source of exposure was found in these cases.

In July 2017, however, panic erupted when doctors from neonatal units at the Chris Hani Baragwanath and Steve Biko Academic hospitals alerted the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) about unusually high numbers of babies with listeriosis. This triggered a review of all cases diagnosed in both public and private hospitals.

According to the department, so far 872 laboratory cases of listeriosis have been confirmed across the country.

Gauteng has recorded the highest number of cases with 59% of cases, followed by the Western Cape at 13% and Kwazulu-natal at 7%.

About 64% of the cases were from the public health sector and 34% from the private health-care sector.

In at-risk patients‚ the spread of infection to the nervous system can cause meningitis‚ leading to headaches‚ confusion‚ stiff neck‚ loss of balance or convulsions.

Pregnant women may present with mild flu-like illness associated with headaches, fever and myalgia. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature births, infection to the newborn, miscarriage or stillbirth. The age groups that are most affected are infants from less than a month old and those aged between 15 and 49. Individuals with compromised immune systems such as Hiv-positive people, cancer patients and those with chronic diseases are most at risk, including patients immuno suppressants.

Mogapi said listeria thrives in cold temperatures, including in fridges. So what happens when someone eats contaminated food?

“Our bodies deal with the bacteria. For example, your tonsils can block it from causing trouble. If you eat an apple with listeria, your tonsils will pick it up and will be able to send an alarm throughout your body to tell your body we have identified this organism, do something about it.”

In individuals with tonsillectomy, the acid in the stomach acts as a defensive mechanism and destroys the bacteria.

“If you have a healthy gut, your stomach acid will destroy the listeria,” he added. on