§ Dr. MarekTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will give details of any information he has received about outbreaks of listeriosis in Mexico, Canada and California;
(2) if he will give the numbers of reported cases of listeriosis for each year since 1978;
(3) when he first became aware of any research programmes into listeriosis carried out in the United States of America, Austria and West Germany;
(4) when he first received the World Health Organisation report entitled "Foodborne Listeriosis";
(5) whether he has received advice from bodies representing informed medical opinion as to whether the public should be made aware of the risks of listeriosis.
§ Mr. FreemanThe number of reported cases of listeriosis for each year since 1978 is as follows:
Number 1978 187 1979 170 1980 175 1981 186 1982 177 1983 115 1984 115 1985 149 1986 137 1987 259 1988 291 19892 231 1 These figures cannot be compared with later figures which reflect a change in reporting systems. 2 Figures are from January to September only and are provisional. Information on listeriosis in California and Canada is available in evidence given to the Social Services Committee in its examination of food poisoning, listeria and listeriosis earlier this year. Of particular interest was 453W the following table. Mexican-style soft cheese was
Examples of outbreaks of food-borne listeriosis Numbers of cases (deaths) Ref. Place Years Total Maternal/foetal/ neonatal Non-pregnant adult and juvenile Food implicated Serotype 1. Boston, United States of America 1979 20 (5) 0 20 (5) ? raw vegetables 4b 2. Halifax, Canada 1981 41 (18) 34 (16) 7 (2) coleslaw 4b 3. Boston, United States of America 1983 49 (14) 7 (2) 42 (12) ? milk 4b 4. Los Angeles, United States of America 1985 142 (48) 93 (30) 49 (18) soft cheese 4b 5. Vaud, Switzerland 1983–7 122 (33) 61 (nk) 61 (nk) soft cheese 4b nk = Not known. 1. Ho et al. Arch Intern Med 1986; 146: 520–4.
2. Schlech et al New Engl J Med 1983; 308: 203–6.
3. Fleming et al New Engl J Med 1985; 312: 404 –7.
4. Linnan et al New Engl J Med 1988; 319: 823–8.
5. Bille & Glauser. Bulletin des Bundesamtes fur Gesundheitswesen 1988; 28: 28.9.
The report of the WHO informal working group on foodborne listeriosis was published in May 1988.
The government have been working with all interests, including the medical profession, since the end of 1987 to assess and decide how best to deal with potential hazards from listeria monocytogenes as evidence of cases of listeriosis linked to food emerged in Europe. The Government have kept in close touch with relevant research worldwide.