New Zealand Food Safety wants people to take some practical steps to prevent a rare and life-threatening foodborne illness.
“While rare, every year people die from listeriosis – a disease caused by the bacterium Listeria – and the effects are tragic for their families,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.
“Listeriosis can be prevented and there are simple steps people can take at home to avoid getting sick. So, today, we launch a campaign to help some of those most at risk – pregnant and older people – better understand the risks of listeriosis and what to do to decrease them.”
Listeriosis is a result of eating or drinking food that has high levels of Listeria, which is widespread in the environment.
Listeriosis is rare in New Zealand and cases are usually not connected, whereas cases in other countries are predominantly due to outbreaks.
In New Zealand, there were 4 deaths from listeriosis in 2021 and 6 in 2022, with 78 people hospitalised over those 2 years.
“Infections in healthy adults are unlikely to be severe, but listeriosis during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature labour, stillbirth, or disease in the newborn baby,” says Mr Arbuckle.
“As you age – and particularly over 65 – your immune system gets weaker. This means foods you safely ate in the past may no longer be safe for you to eat.
“Some people may not be aware of this. So, we’re using our campaign to highlight higher-risk foods while sharing some food-safety advice on how to make them safe to eat.”
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