Six cases of the Listeria bacterium have been identified by the British Health Service and the Food Standards Agency since last January, including one that led to the hospitalization of a Jewish academic. His wife was in the hospital for six weeks earlier this year and appears to have developed listeriosis, the contagious disease caused by the listeria bacterium.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Food Standards Agency have identified an outbreak of the Listeria bacterium in London, which both bodies say appears to be linked to the consumption of smoked fish. According to a report in the British Jewish media, there is an ongoing investigation into the listeria outbreak, which is said to be particularly affecting pregnant women or vulnerable people, often in old age groups, with basic health problems, or taking drugs that could weaken their immune systems.
Professor Jeffrey Alderman, a Jewish academic, was recently hospitalized at Hampstead London, where he told UK health officials about consuming smoked salmon. He said his wife, Marion, spent six weeks in the hospital earlier this year and appears to have developed listeriosis, the contagious disease caused by the listeria bacterium.
A UKHSA health spokesman told the Jewish News that “most people have no symptoms of the infection or experience only mild symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, which usually go away within a few days without treatment.” But the agency warned that all smoked fish, smoked trout, smoked javelin, smoked mackerel and smoked salmon should be “cooked well” before eating.
According to the health agency: They have identified an outbreak of 12 linked cases of listeriosis since 2020, with six of them since January 2022. The cases have been identified in England and Scotland. Most of these people reported eating smoked fish. Smoked fish is now defined as “a high-risk product that must be cooked thoroughly before being eaten by any person in a high-risk group.”
Tina Potter, head of the incident department at the Food Standards Agency, said: “The public should not avoid these products, but should ensure the risks are reduced as much as possible, this can be done by keeping chilled smoked fish ready to eat refrigerated, always use products according to their use date, In accordance with the instructions for storage and use on the label, and cooking or reheating of smoked fish until it is completely warm. “