The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is reporting a very large outbreak of Listeriosis in South Africa. To date there have been over 550 cases reported, mostly in Gauteng. Here are some facts that you should know.
Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium called Listeria Monocytogenes. Although there are other types of Listeria, most cases of listeriosis are caused by Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria is found in soil and water so vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer and even animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill, and can then contaminate foods of animal origin, such as meats and dairy products.
Listeria has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk. Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking; however, in certain ready-to-eat foods, like hot dogs and cold cuts from the deli counter, contamination may occur after cooking but before packaging.
The foods in the chart below are being considered by The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD):
Ref: http://www.nicd.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Listeria-Case-Investigation-Form.docx
Download Listeria Factsheet 25Jan2018.pdf
The pathogen has been isolated from a very wide range of processed foods including pâtés, milk, soft cheeses, ice cream, ready-to-eat cooked and fermented meats, smoked and lightly processed fish products and other seafood. Celery, sprouts, cantaloupe have also been identified.
Ref: http://www.foodsafetywatch.org/factsheets/listeria/ & https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention.html
Want to know more:
http://www.nicd.ac.za/assets/files/Listeriosis.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/index.html
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