The 10 symptoms of deadly listeriosis infection as person dies and over 140 meals recalled from Irish supermarkets
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland
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Listeria monocytogenes is a potentially fatal bacterium that causes listeriosis
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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The infection can include several symptoms
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
And it emerged today that
Nine cases of listeriosis have been confirmed in Ireland as of Tuesday, July 22.
But how does listeriosis affect a person and what symptoms do we need to look out for?
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The infection can include mild flu-like symptoms or none at all, according to the
Safefood says a person with a listeria infection can have fever, tiredness and headache.
There can also be gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
However, in rare cases the infection can be more severe and cause serious complications.
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Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections, including
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre says that in immunocompromised and elderly individuals, the infection can occasionally spread to the central nervous system causing meningitis and/or septicaemia, with symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, and loss of balance or convulsions.
How to protect myself from listeriosis?
Protecting yourself against the fatal bacteria is vital, especially for pregnant women, infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
There are several measures issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre that can significantly reduce the risk of contracting the infection:
Keep foods for as short a time as possible and follow storage instructions including 'use by' and 'eat by' dates
Cook food thoroughly, especially meat, ensuring that it is cooked through to the middle
Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and from cooked and ready-to-eat foods
Wash salads, fruit and raw vegetables thoroughly before eating, or peel if appropriate
Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards after contact with uncooked food
Make sure that the refrigerator is working correctly
When heating food in a microwave, follow heating and standing times recommended by the manufacturer
Throw away leftover reheated food. Cooked food which is not eaten immediately should be cooled as rapidly as possible and then stored in the refrigerator
Pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems should avoid eating high-risk foods such as:
raw (unpasteurised) milk or foods made from raw milk,
soft or mould-ripened cheeses (e.g. feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses),
pâté and
smoked salmon.
If contact with ewes at lambing time is unavoidable for pregnant women, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems, washing hands after handling animals should reduce any possibility of infection.
Infected pregnant women may have no symptoms or experience only a mild flu-like illness. However, infection during pregnancy can lead to premature labour, meningitis in the newborn or even miscarriage.
The incubation period (time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing) is, on average, three weeks but can range between three and 70 days.
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Diagnosis is usually made by culture of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid bathing the brain and spinal cord).
During pregnancy, a blood test is the most reliable way to find out if symptoms are due to listeriosis.
NOTIFIABLE DISEASE
Listeriosis is a notifiable disease in Ireland,
meaning medical practitioners are required to tell public
bosses if a case comes to their attention.
If you're concerned about symptoms and illness, contact your GP.
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It follows a
from Irish stores due to the possible presence of listeria monocytogenes. The full 141-strong list
.
The recalled branded prepared meals and side dishes were produced by Ballymaguire Foods, but are marketed under the labels of the stores selling them.
POPULAR READY MEALS
The list includes popular ready meals such as the Meals Made Easy, Beef Lasagne and Finest Cottage Pie, both sold in
Centra Freshly Prepared Chicken Massaman with Sticky Jasmine Rice and Aldi Inspired Cousine Chicken & Broccoli Bake were also recalled following the alert.
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Also included are The Happy Pear Shepherdless Pie, Creamy Veggie Lasagne and Chickpea Curry items.
Ballymaguire Foods told
'UTMOST SERIOUSNESS'
Apologising to customers, it added that "incidents of this nature are extremely rare for us".
It said it is treating the outbreak "with the utmost seriousness and are working closely with all parties to manage the situation swiftly and responsibly".
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On Saturday, July 19 it said it temporarily suspended all production at the affected facility and carried out a full pharmaceutical-grade clean-down operation, while production will resume when it is confirmed safe to do so.
Ballymaguire Foods added: "Immediately upon identifying the issue, we informed our retail and food-service customers and engaged with all relevant authorities, including the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the Health Service Executive, and our regional Environmental Health Officer.
PRODUCTION SUSPENDED
"Through our retail partners, all products are being withdrawn from the shelves, and a full consumer communication process is under way."
As a precautionary measure Ballymaguire Foods said that on Saturday it made the decision to temporarily suspend all production at the affected facility, and that a comprehensive assessment and immediate corrective actions were carried out, including a full pharmaceutical-grade clean down of the facility.
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It said production will resume at the facility once it is confirmed safe to do so.
DO NOT EAT WARNING
They are also encouraged not to eat the affected ready meals and to dispose of them or return them to the point-of-
The FSAI added that recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.
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They continued: "Retailers are requested to remove the implicated products from sale and display recall notices at point-of-sale.
"Wholesalers/distributors are requested to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated products and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.
"Caterers should not use the implicated products."
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