South Africa's Health Ministry said on Sunday that a listeriosis outbreak has killed 180 people in the country since the beginning of 2017.

Watch video 03:56 Share Kitchens – a hotbed for bacteria Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2ruEM Kitchens – a hotbed for bacteria

Officials also announced that the outbreak was tied to a sausage-type meat that is made by South Africa's largest consumer foods group.

The meat, known as "Polony," is produced by Tiger Brands, a unit of Enterprise Food, and by RCL Foods, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.

Read more: Australia: Three die from eating contaminated melon

"We can now conclude scientifically that the source of the present outbreak is the Enterprise Food production facility located in Polokwane," Motsoaledi said.

He added that "Polony" would be recalled from stores and advised South Africans "to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat."

Although RCL Foods had not yet been identified as a source of the contaminated meat, one of its factories was also under investigation.

Food scandals in Germany Toxic eggs Millions of eggs had to be recalled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany after they were found to contain the insecticide fipronil. The highly toxic substance can cause damage to the liver, thyroid glands and kidneys if ingested in large amounts. More than 150 poultry farms in the Netherlands had to be shut down and a number of German supermarkets pulled eggs from their shelves.

Food scandals in Germany Beef with Brazil A number of countries banned meat imports from Brazil in March 2017 after a police investigation found meat packers had been selling rotten produce. In some cases, carcinogenic chemicals had been used to mask the smell of bad meat. Germany imported around 114,000 tons of meat and meat products from Brazil in 2016. But German authorities said no tainted meat had been sold in the country.

Food scandals in Germany Mice in Bavarian bakeries Earlier this year, German consumer protection group Foodwatch reported that mold and mice had been uncovered in several large-scale Bavarian bakeries. The watchdog cited the results of 69 inspections between 2013 and 2016. Rodent hair and chew marks were found on one bakery's goods. Another establishment had cockroaches crawling through flour and a mound of rodent feces baked into a wheat roll.

Food scandals in Germany Horsemeat lasagna anyone? In 2013, millions of people across Europe discovered that a number of meat products passed off as being pork or beef were in fact horsemeat. It all started when Irish food safety inspectors detected horsemeat in frozen beef burgers. Further investigation found that ready-to-eat meals in a number of EU countries, including Germany, also contained horsemeat.

Food scandals in Germany Strawberry surprise In 2012, more than 11,000 German schoolchildren were taken ill with vomiting and diarrhea because they ate from the same batch of deep-frozen strawberries. The mass food poisoning spanned almost 500 schools and day care centers in the east of the country. Fortunately, many of the victims had a speedy recovery. Only 32 were taken to hospital.

Food scandals in Germany Dioxin health scare In early 2011, thousands of German farms, most of them in the state of Lower Saxony, were temporarily shut after they received animal feed laced with dioxine. German officials said the tainted feed had been fed to hens and pigs, contaminating eggs, poultry meat and some pork. Contaminated exports were shipped as far as Britain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland.

Food scandals in Germany E. coli outbreak Also in 2011, a strain of Escherichia coli O104:H4, a bacteria found in vegetables, caused a deadly outbreak of illness in northern Germany. More than 4,000 people were infected - showing symptoms like bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure. More than 50 people died. A sprout farm in Lower Saxony is believed to be the source of the outbreak.



Massive outbreak

Listeriosis is an infection which is most frequently caused by the bacteria listeria which is found in water, soil, vegetation and animal feces.

The bacteria can contaminate food — particularly dairy products, fresh meat and seafood — but can be prevented by washing food and basic hygiene.

Listeriosis results in flu-like symptoms as well as nausea, diarrhea, and infection of the bloodstream. In severe cases, it can lead to an infection of the brain. Children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are at a heightened risk.

South Africa's National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said there have been 948 cases of listeriosis since January 1, 2017.

The outbreak is believed to be one of the largest-ever worldwide, according to the United Nations.

Watch video 02:41 Food Poisoning - how to get rid of or avoid it completely

rs/rc (AFP, Reuters)

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