South Africa declares end to listeriosis outbreak

South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Monday announced the end of the listeriosis epidemic, which has killed some 216 people since January 2017.

Motsoaledi said no news cases had been recorded over the past three months

Health officials say, the outbreak was traced to an Enterprise Food plant, 300 kilometres northeast of Pretoria, and immediately ordered a nationwide recall of affected processed meat products.

According to the Ministry of Health, 1,060 contaminated cases had been reported in South Africa as at the end of July 2018.

The flu-like disease usually infects the blood and even the brain and can lead to death.

Listeriosis is caused by bacteria in soil, water, vegetation and animal feces that can easily contaminate food, including meat, dairy products and seafood.

The United Nations had said South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak was believed to be the largest-ever worldwide.