A deadly outbreak linked to tainted food in South Africa is now threatening other African nations, with neighbouring Namibia reporting a confirmed case that might be connected, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.



In a statement, WHO said it has reached out to 16 countries to help with preparedness and response to the listeriosis outbreak that has killed nearly 200 people since January 2017. South Africa's health minister has said there have been 950 cases in all.



Contaminated meat products may have been exported to two West African countries and a dozen southern African ones, the U.N. health agency said. The countries include Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation.



A South African factory has been identified as the outbreak's source.



Despite an international recall of the products, further cases are likely because of listeriosis' potentially long incubation period, WHO said.



"This outbreak is a wake-up call for countries in the region to strengthen their national food safety and disease surveillance systems," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa.



The 16 countries are Angola, Botswana, Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. </s> JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The World Health Organization says a deadly outbreak linked to tainted food in South Africa is now threatening other African nations, with neighboring Namibia reporting a confirmed case that might be connected.

A statement on Tuesday says WHO has reached out to 16 countries to help with preparedness and response to the listeriosis outbreak that has killed nearly 200 people since January 2017.

WHO says contaminated meat products may have been exported to two West African countries and a dozen southern African ones. A factory has been identified as the outbreak's source.

The health agency says that despite an international recall of the products further cases are likely because of listeriosis' potentially long incubation period.

South Africa's health minister has said there have been 950 cases of listeriosis in all. </s> Remembering Nurse Justina Ejelonu Who Died During The Ebola Outbreak (Photos) / Gonorrhoea Is Becoming Untreatable, WHO Warns / Bleaching: Nigeria Tops List Of African Countries Whose Women Bleach Their Skin (1) (2) (3) (4)





World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned Nigeria and 15 other African countries of a listeriosis outbreak that started in South Africa in 2017, confirming its support for their preparedness and response to the disease. The other African countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.



Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes. It can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death. Listeria is ubiquitous and is primarily transmitted via the oral route after ingestion of contaminated food products



According to WHO numbers, nearly 200 South Africans have died since January 2017 as a result of contaminated ready-to-eat meat products that are widely consumed in the country and may also have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community. South African health authorities recently declared the source of the outbreak as a factory in Polokwane, in the country’s northeast prompting a global recall of the food products.



http://thenationonlineng.net/warns-nigeria-15-others-listeriosis-outbreak/ World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned Nigeria and 15 other African countries of a listeriosis outbreak that started in South Africa in 2017, confirming its support for their preparedness and response to the disease. The other African countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes. It can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death. Listeria is ubiquitous and is primarily transmitted via the oral route after ingestion of contaminated food productsAccording to WHO numbers, nearly 200 South Africans have died since January 2017 as a result of contaminated ready-to-eat meat products that are widely consumed in the country and may also have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community. South African health authorities recently declared the source of the outbreak as a factory in Polokwane, in the country’s northeast prompting a global recall of the food products.

you have a phone and good internet, learn to use it wisely. No allow anybody to dey tell you rubbish. It's people like you that eat words hook line and sinker. No offence you have a phone and good internet, learn to use it wisely. No allow anybody to dey tell you rubbish. It's people like you that eat words hook line and sinker. No offence

Gangster1ms:

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World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned Nigeria and 15 other African countries of a listeriosis outbreak that started in South Africa in 2017, confirming its support for their preparedness and response to the disease. The other African countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.



Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes. It can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death. Listeria is ubiquitous and is primarily transmitted via the oral route after ingestion of contaminated food products



According to WHO numbers, nearly 200 South Africans have died since January 2017 as a result of contaminated ready-to-eat meat products that are widely consumed in the country and may also have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community. South African health authorities recently declared the source of the outbreak as a factory in Polokwane, in the country’s northeast prompting a global recall of the food products.



http://thenationonlineng.net/warns-nigeria-15-others-listeriosis-outbreak/



 

Stop eating shawarma or anything that has beef filling in them Stop eating shawarma or anything that has beef filling in them

free2ryhme:





Stop eating shawarma or anything that has beef filling in them 

its not shawarma. its from processed meat products like ham, polony, hotdogs, burger patties, etc. We rarely eat them in Nigeria. The people who should be careful the most are people who feed on restaurant food. its not shawarma. its from processed meat products like ham, polony, hotdogs, burger patties, etc. We rarely eat them in Nigeria. The people who should be careful the most are people who feed on restaurant food.

free2ryhme:





Shawarma has sausage inside 



Can't you reason like normal person 

This is why some of you are so close-minded. hasty to jump into discussions you know nothing about.

Not every shawarma has sausage in it Oga. if you need to be enlightened just ask. simple. Oversabi This is why some of you are so close-minded. hasty to jump into discussions you know nothing about.Not every shawarma has sausage in it Oga. if you need to be enlightened just ask. simple. Oversabi

kolidave:

 you have a phone and good internet, learn to use it wisely. No allow anybody to dey tell you rubbish. It's people like you that eat words hook line and sinker. No offence lolz... You are right. Well it's unlike me to ask when I could just browse... But I'm quite aware of the brains we have (or used to have) here on Nairaland and just felt like getting the right info from an individual. No offence taken Sire. But you could have passed same info in another form. lolz... You are right. Well it's unlike me to ask when I could just browse... But I'm quite aware of the brains we have (or used to have) here on Nairaland and just felt like getting the right info from an individual. No offence taken Sire. But you could have passed same info in another form.

geekybabe:





This is why some of you are so close-minded. hasty to jump into discussions you know nothing about.

Not every shawarma has sausage in it Oga. if you need to be enlightened just ask. simple. Oversabi 

Which shawarma not get sausage Which shawarma not get sausage </s> The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday warned Nigeria and 15 other African countries of a listeriosis outbreak that started in South Africa in 2017, confirming its support for their preparedness and response to the disease.

The other African countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes.

It can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death.

Listeria is ubiquitous and is primarily transmitted via the oral route after ingestion of contaminated food products

According to WHO numbers, nearly 200 South Africans have died since January 2017 as a result of contaminated ready-to-eat meat products that are widely consumed in the country and may also have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community.

South African health authorities recently declared the source of the outbreak as a factory in Polokwane, in the country’s northeast.

This prompted a national and international recall of the food products.

However, in light of the potentially long incubation period of listeriosis and the challenges relating to large scale nationwide recall processes, further cases are likely to occur.

Whole genome sequencing of isolated strains of the Listeria bacteria was used to make the link between the contaminated products, the producing company and strains of Listeria isolated from the patients.

The WHO is currently supporting further genome sequencing to determine which cases are linked to this on-going outbreak.

In March, South Africa hosted a meeting of SADC health ministers to address regional preparedness and response to listeriosis.

The ministers committed to regional collaboration, exchanging information and strengthening national food safety systems in line with international standards.

The WHO, however, does not currently recommend any trade related measures in relation to the current outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa, other than the recall of products identified as sources of infection.

The UN health agency is working with the 16 priority countries to improve their ability to prepare for, detect and respond to potential outbreaks.

Immediate steps include increasing awareness on listeriosis, enhancing active surveillance and laboratory diagnosis, ensuring readiness of Rapid Response Teams, and strengthening coordination and contingency planning. Experts have been deployed to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland to support these efforts.

“This outbreak is a wake-up call for countries in the region to strengthen their national food safety and disease surveillance systems,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa. </s> The South Africa listeria outbreak that has killed 180 people since January is the largest ever recorded globally, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

“Yes, this is the largest ever recorded outbreak of this severe form of listeriosis globally,” Peter K. Ben Embarek, who manages the WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network, told Reuters in an emailed response.

Meanwhile several Southern African nations including Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia have banned several processed imports from South Africa, following the revelations that the listeria outbreak had been traced to ready to eat meat.

Zambia’s health minister Chitalu Chilufya said the ban would also include dairy products, vegetables and fruits.

Malawi’s Competition and Fair Trading Commission asked wholesalers and retailers to withdraw South Africa meat products from shelves.

Media in South Africa reported that hundreds of customers had flocked the factories and stores suspected of being the source of the listeriosis infection, returning goods they had already purchased and demanding refunds.

South Africa’s Health Minister, Arron Motsoaledi, told a media briefing over the weekend, that the Enterprise facility in Germiston, east of Johannesburg, was the source of the outbreak.

The minister demanded that Russian and Vienna sausages, as well as the cold meat polony be removed from shelves immediately.

The chief executive officer of Tiger Brands, who run the Enterprise facility that makes meat polony has however said the company is yet to be provided with evidence showing a direct link between the 180 listeriosis deaths and the company’s products.

The company has nevertheless recalled all exported products and says it has taken immediate action and corrective steps to address the listeriosis outbreak.

‘‘To give you some insights, Enterprise foods follow some stringent protocols for the manufacture of quality food products, this includes monitoring and testing for the detection and management of pathogens, viruses and bacteria, including listeria,’‘ Lawrence MacDougall said.

South Africa’s processed meat market grew about 8 percent in 2017 to a retail value of $412 million, according to Euromonitor International. Tiger Brands has a 35.7 percent market share, followed by Eskort Bacon Co-Operative with 21.8 percent. Rhodes Food, RCL Foods and Astral Foods each have less than 5 percent. </s> The World Health Organization is coordinating efforts among 16 African countries in an attempt to contain the world’s largest ever Listeria outbreak as officials in Namibia try to discern whether a sick person in that country contracted listeriosis from processed meat imported from South Africa.

In another development this week, officials in Mozambique reported they have incinerated 55 metric tons of assorted processed meat — referred to in the region as polony — imported from Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken facilities in South Africa. Laboratory tests have shown that both companies’ production plants are contaminated.

Almost 200 people are confirmed to have died in the outbreak and almost 1,000 have been confirmed sick with listeriosis, according to South Africa’s health department.

Company officials with Rainbow doubled down on denials that the foodborne pathogen is not present in their plant, directly challenging South Africa’s Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi. Rainbow, known as RCL Foods, claims the problem is in the Enterprise plant in Polokwane. South Africa’s health department says the results of independent lab tests paid for by RCL do not change the situation.

“The real point is that listeria monocytogenes were found in their (RLC Foods) Wolwehoek factory, which has not changed,” health department spokesperson Popo Maja told South African media outlets.

“We made it clear … that we only had results of whole genome sequencing for the Enterprise Foods Polokwane production facility. We further clarify that for the RCL Foods Wolwehoek production facility in Sasolburg, we only have results of culture so far and that 14 percent of the environmental samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. We are awaiting whole genome sequencing results early next week.”

In Namibia, where traceback efforts are ongoing, public health officials told allafrica.com on Tuesday that they have determined a man who fell ill two weeks ago was infected by Listeria-contaminated Vienna sausage. They have identified a butcher shop in Grootfontein.

However, regional officials have not yet been able to establish whether the processed meat product was imported from South Africa. They are also waiting on confirmation tests to determine if the sick man is infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Meanwhile, Namibia’s main international entry points to Otavi and Grootfontein have initiated monitoring measures to prevent potentially contaminated imports.

“We will have a meeting with the managing director of the company which supplied the product, then we will screen and go to the market and remove all the products associated with the outbreak and dispose of them,” Oshikoto Region Health Director Peter Angala told allafrica.com.

In Mozambique National Inspectorate of Economic Activities General Inspector Acácio Foia told allafrica.com on Monday that there are still 40 metric tons of imported processed meats to be incinerated. He said imports of the polony produced by RCL Foods and Enterprise are being stopped at the border.

“I guarantee you that these products are not entering Mozambique,” he said. “The most important thing is to guarantee that (our department) and a multi-sector team that includes the customs service and the heath and agricultural authorities are ready in the field.”

WHO encourages cooperation, action

 Outbreak specialists with the World Health Organization also say a multi-pronged approach is needed. The WHO is seeking the help of 16 African nations to contain the outbreak.

Tuesday the international organization reported the contaminated ready-to-eat processed meat products may have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community (SADC). Those members are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The WHO also reported it expects more people to fall ill before the outbreak is over, even though the implicated polony has been recalled.

“… in light of the potentially long incubation period of listeriosis and the challenges relating to large scale nationwide recall processes, further cases are likely to occur,” according to a statement from the WHO detailing how countries need to work together on improving abilities to prepare for, detect and respond to outbreaks.

“This outbreak is a wake up call for countries in the region to strengthen their national food safety and disease surveillance systems,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

The international public health organization heralded whole genome sequencing as an invaluable tool in the outbreak investigation thus far. WHO is supporting further genome sequencing to determine which cases are linked to this on-going outbreak, according to the Tuesday statement. </s> The Australian and South African listeriosis outbreaks have one thing in common — fatality rates as high as 26 to 28 percent.

Health officials in Victoria, Australia, late last week announced the death of a man in his 80s as the fifth fatality in the country’s listeriosis outbreak. Two others who lost their lives from eating rockmelon, referred to as cantaloupe in the United States, were also Victoria residents. The two others were from Sydney.

Australia’s listeriosis outbreak so far involves 19 confirmed cases, including eight cases in Victoria, six in New South Wales (NSW), four in Queensland, and one in Tasmania. Mostly elderly Australians are infected. The average of the outbreak victims is 78.

Microbiological testing linked the latest death of the Victoria man to the outbreak, along with a recent miscarriage, also in Victoria. Lydia Buchtmann, the spokeswoman for the Food Safety Information Council, says more cases linked to the listeria contamination of rockmelon are likely because the pathogen has an incubation period as long as 70 days. All 19 confirmed cases involve people who ate rockmelon before a recall was initiated.

The NSW Food Authority named the Rombola Family Farm in the Riverina area as the likely source of the contaminated melons. The farm halted production and recalled its melons.

Australian growers anticipate the outbreak will result in new requirements once the NSW Food Authority completes its investigation.

In the much more massive listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, the fatality rate is running at 18 to 28 percent.

The lower number measures the 183 deaths against all Listeria cases going back to Jan. 1, 2017.

Using only the 649 illnesses caused by the outbreak strain results in the higher fatality rate. Other outbreak strains could be identified as investigators continue testing.

South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak is the largest on record, according to the World Health Organization. The source of that outbreak is a low cost processed meat known as “polony.”

The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems along are most likely to be victims of listeriosis poisoning. Outbreak fatality rates typically range from 20 to 40 percent. </s> JOHANNESBURG: South African supermarkets began a mass recall on Sunday (Mar 4) of meat products made at a facility that health officials say was the source of a listeriosis outbreak that has killed 180 since January 2017.

Listeriosis is caused by a bacteria found in soil, water, vegetation and animal faeces, and can contaminate food, especially fresh meat, dairy and seafood. It is prevented by basic hygiene and washing food.

The country's second largest supermarket chain, Pick n Pay, said it had "acted immediately to withdraw all products from the manufacturing sites identified by the Department of Health".

"All fridges and food preparation areas in our stores will now be re-cleaned to prevent any cross-contamination. Recalled meat is being isolated and will be safely destroyed," Pick n Pay, which has 1,420 stores in South Africa, said in a statement. It warned that "a very broad range of retailers" could be affected.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi earlier revealed that the current outbreak began at a facility run by Enterprise foods in Polokwane, the capital of northeastern Limpopo province. He warned that two other sites could also be affected.

Products including locally popular polony sausages, also known as baloney, made at the Enterprise plant would be subject to immediate safety recalls, he added.

Enterprise said in a statement that it "prioritises the health and safety of consumers above all else".

"We are committed to ensuring that all Enterprise products, as identified, will be recalled as part of the directive received," it said.

The National Consumer Commission will now work with manufacturers to ensure no affected products are sold, Motsoaledi said.

"The safety recall will affect the manufacturers' entire distribution networks, both domestic and international," he added.

"We advise members of the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat."

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said that 948 cases of listeriosis had been confirmed since January 1, 2017, leading to 180 deaths.

The death toll stood at 172 as recently as February 22.

The United Nations has previously said South Africa's listeriosis outbreak is believed to be the largest-ever worldwide.

The disease mainly affects children and has a three-week incubation period, making it difficult to track.

Contamination in humans can result in flu-like illness, infection of the bloodstream and, in severe cases, infection of the brain which can prove fatal.

People with compromised immune systems, like some of those living with AIDS and pregnant women, are at a heightened risk, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). </s> As South Africa grapples with the world's worst listeria outbreak, it's small stores that are taking a financial hit from customers fearing for their lives. David Pollard reports.
The World Health Organisation says a listeria outbreak spread via infected food responsible for 200 deaths in South Africa may have spread to Namibia. The organisation reaches out to 16 African nations it assesses as at risk.