Listeriosis outbreak is looming in Nigeria and 15 other
African countries, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), reports NaijaAgroNet.
Confirming this development, WHO Regional Director for
Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, listed other redline
countries to include Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana,
Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
“This outbreak is a wake-up call for countries in the region
to strengthen their national food safety and disease surveillance systems,” Moeti
declared.
Experts have described Listeriosis as a bacterial infection
most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes, which could cause severe
illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes
resulting in lifelong harm and even death.
They also said that listeria is ubiquitous and is primarily
transmitted via the oral route after ingestion of contaminated food products
As said by WHO an estimated 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.
Isaac Oyimah with additional reports from ThePunch.