An elderly woman contracted listeriosis from hospital food, the Centre for Health Protection reports.
The patient, an unnamed 79-year-old woman, was admitted to St. Teresa’s Hospital on Sept. 12 to manage her underlying illnesses, but the CHP reports that her general condition worsened on Jan. 1, as she also developed a fever.
The 79-year-old’s blood cultures revealed she had contracted listeriosis, the symptoms of which can resemble influenza or meningitis. Through epidemiological investigations, the CHP found that the patient had consumed smoked salmon, a “high risk food” provided by the private hospital’s kitchen, in late December.
The patient is now reported to be in stable condition, which is pretty much the only good news as we listeria some “high risk foods”.
Smoked salmon, amongst other products such as unpasteurised milk, raw vegetables and soft cheese, can contain Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium which causes listeriosis. #NoSchmearNoTears
The CHP recommends that “high risk individuals” — so that’s pregnant women, young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems — avoid refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, including smoked seafood and deli meats. Fair enough as a warning to the public, but it seems like a hospital should probably prepare to cater (literally) for said “high risk individuals”… that’s just our two cents.
Ming Pao Daily reports that the Centre for Food Safety has ordered the hospital’s food supplier, Elegant Fine Food Limited, to recall all of its smoked salmon products, while the production lines have been suspended for sterilisation.
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