Deadly Listeria warning has been issued, here's all you need to know

According to Food Safety News, Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland (FSS), and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have issued fresh warning to people in the UK to be careful of being infected by the Listeria bacteria. The authorities are working to make people aware about the risks of Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat smoked fish.

UK Listeria outbreak

There has been an ongoing Listeria outbreak in the UK since April 2022. The total number of people who have been affected due to this deadly infection has now risen to 14. This includes 3 people who were older than 65-year-old and who died due to this.

According to Medicine Net, Listeria is a group of bacteria that can cause potentially fatal infection especially among vulnerable population such as pregnant women, older people and people with weakened immune systems.

Listeria spreads through contaminated food and very often, the food might not look spoiled or inedible at all. High-risk foods for contamination include food from uncooked animal sources as well as raw milk or food made with raw milk.

Symptoms of Listeria infection includes vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache, and neck stiffness. Laboratory tests are needed to accurately diagnose an infection since its symptoms can mimic other illness.

Precautions against Listeria

According to the report, Caroline Handford, acting head of incidents at the FSA, stressed the need for vulnerable people to be informed of the risks of consuming ready-to-eat smoked fish and to follow certain safety practices. She said,

If anyone from these groups is eating ready-to-eat smoked fish, we are reminding them of the advice to ensure that it is thoroughly cooked before they eat it including when served as part of a dish.

People can also further reduce the risk by keeping chilled ready-to-eat smoked fish cold at 5 degrees C (41 degrees F) or below, always using products by their use-by date, following the storage instructions on the label, and cooking it until it is piping hot right through,

Again, pregnant women and people over 65 years old have been advised to eat only thoroughly cooked smoked ready-to-eat smoked fish to reduce risks.

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