No risk of Listeria outbreak yet - Health authorities

 

The bacteria-born disease Listeriosis can cause complications for individuals with weakened immunity, says the Health Promotion Bureau.

Dr. Samitha Ginige mentioned that although exaggerated facts were reported recently on various media reports and on social media regarding this disease, Listeriosis is not a disease that will turn into a large-scale epidemic.

Commenting further, the chief epidemiologist expressed that the disease initially appears only as a minor stomachache condition for most of the healthy individuals, whereas it can rarely cause death if the complications in an individual with weakened immunity may develop into Encephalitis (Brain Fever).

The global spread of Listeriosis is at a minimum level, Dr. Ginige said, mentioning that only 0.1 to 0.10 cases are reported globally per million.

Dr. Samitha Ginige also commented on the current situation of the Listeria figures reported within Sri Lanka; “He was the only confirmed Listeriosis case which was reported in Sri Lanka recently, no other patients were reported.”