It is likely that the contaminated products are sold under different brand names. The products have been distributed in about 30 different countries.
Two people have died and dozens more have fallen ill from a listeria outbreak linked to soft cheese.
Most of the infections have been reported in France, where 21 people are thought to have been infected after eating dairy products contaminated with the bacteria between December 2024 and August 13 this year.
Four other countries: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, also confirmed four cases of listeriosis, reported between April 14 and July 9.
Patients in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands reported eating pasteurized soft cheese before falling ill.
French investigators have traced the outbreak to “a specific French cheese producer that produces pasteurized soft cheeses with cow’s and goat’s milk,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
It is likely that the contaminated products are sold under different brand names. The products have been distributed in around 30 different countries, including the UK.
Health authorities are continuing to track infections, the ECDC said.
Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, often transmitted through food.
While healthy adults and children may experience mild symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea, or no symptoms at all, listeriosis can be dangerous for pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
In France, patients affected by listeriosis were aged between 34 and 95 years old and 11 of them were women.
In the other four countries, people aged 35 to 70 were affected.
“Contamination of pasteurized soft cheese is a rare event,” the ECDC stated, noting that the risk of illness for people in “good general health” was “very low.”
Most people infected with listeria will experience “mild forms of gastroenteritis,” such as diarrhea and vomiting.
According to the health watchdog, potentially contaminated products have been distributed to:
Albania
Andorra
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Canada
Czech Republic
Ivory Coast
Denmark
Estonia
finland
France including French Polynesia
Germany
Hong Kong
Hungary
Ital
Japan
MADAGASCAR
Malaysia
Mauritius
Netherlands
New Caledonia
Singapore
Slovakia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
The ECDC said the contaminated cheeses were recalled “to protect consumers as a precautionary measure”.
“Autoritetet e sigurisë ushqimore të vendeve të përfshira në shpërndarjen e ushqimit po zbatojnë masa zyrtare të kontrollit, duke përfshirë çështjen e paralajmërimeve publike”, shtoi ECDC. /Përshtatur nga The Sun/
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