Listeriosis outbreak in South Africa could impact good nutrition and HIV/AIDS control, writes Denis Chopera.
The month of March saw the beginning of the recall from South African supermarkets of processed meat products such as polony and vienna sausage for possibly being linked to an outbreak of listeriosis – a bacterial infection that causes fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhoea.
According to the World Health Organisation, the outbreak that began in January 2017 is the largest-ever globally, with 978 confirmed cases and 183 deaths as of 14 March 2018.
While all eyes are on the economic and nutritional impact of the outbreak, one important question remains unasked: What could this outbreak mean for a country with the highest number of HIV-infected people in the world?