The death toll from the worlds largest ever outbreak of the food-borne disease listeria has risen to 204, but the number of new cases has declined sharply after products were recalled, South African authorities said on Thursday.
The health department recalled processed meat products known as “polony”, after the source of the outbreak was traced to a factory owned by Tiger Brands unit Enterprise Foods in March resulting in a class action lawsuit filed against the company.
“Since identification of the source of the outbreak and recall of implicated products, the number of cases of listeria has declined drastically,” the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture said in a joint statement.
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) puts reveals that the number of cases has increased to 1,033, however the number reported per week had decreased to an average of 6.4 since March 5th after the products were recalled compared with 24.9 previously
The government now says it will review its food safety legislation and would hold a consultative meeting regarding compulsory specifications for processed meat.
Listeria is a bacterium found in soil, water and vegetation. People can be infected through animal products and fresh fruit and vegetables.
