Laurence Dollimore
THE Listeria outbreak which has killed three people in Spain is being brought under control, the Junta de Andalucia has announced.
It comes after 69 people were infected with the bacteria, believed to have come from dodgy batches of packaged meat products in Sevilla.
That number has now fallen to 61.
Sevilla is in the lead in the number of affected patients with 46, Huelva has nine, Malaga three, Cádiz two and Granada one.
Of these 61 people, 23 are pregnant women, with four having been admitted to the ICU including a newborn suffering with continuous antibiotic infection.
The data, however, shows that the number of daily cases ‘has been reduced significantly and sustained’ since August 23, when there were five new ones.
Ministry of Health spokesman Dr. José Miguel Cisneros said the outbreak has been limited to the province of Sevilla, since the last case diagnosed outside the regional capital was on August 24 in Cádiz.
Cisneros stressed that the outbreak ‘is not over yet’ and that there is a possibility that ‘new rare cases will appear for the next several weeks.’
The shredded meat prepared by the Magrudis firm is still withdrawn from the market while its production remains paralysed.
