Listeria death toll rises
A total of sixty-one people have now succumbed to listeriosis since the end of December last year.
This is an increase from the 36 deaths recorded by the Department of Health at the beginning of December 2017.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has also confirmed that there has been an increase in laboratory confirmed cases.
“There are 727 laboratory confirmed cases that occurred in the country since January 2017. This means that since the last press conference on 5 December 2017, a total of 170 extra cases have emerged”, says Motsoaledi.
Motsoaledi says the 727 cases do not translate to actual patients.
“Out of the cases we know about, we were only able to trace 134 actual patients.”
Gauteng still maintains the number one spot where listeria cases have been confirmed. It is closely followed by the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal.
The Department of Health has since ammended the list of notifiable diseases to include listeriosis.
Motsoaledi has urged South Africans to practice basic food hygiene principles to prevent the disease from spreading further.