§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, on 14 December 1988,Official Report, column 601, if he will list the causes other than food of listeria poisoning; what were the causes of the 259 incidents of listeria poisoning notified to the public health laboratory in 1987; if he will request the public health laboratory to keep him fully informed of all cases of food poisoning; and if he will make a statement on the growth in the number of cases, the seriousness, and the causes of listeria poisoning, and indicate what precautionary measures are advisable.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo vehicle was identified for any of the listeriosis cases reported to the public health laboratory service in 1987 and 1988, other than the three in 1988 which were microbiologically associated with food. My Department has been and is working on the reasons for the increase of listeriosis which occurred between 1986 and 1987; the increase in cases in 1988 was less marked than between 1986–87. The public health laboratory service is keeping us fully informed.
The manifestations of listeriosis range from a mild, flu-like illness to septicaemia and meningitis and the organism can cross the placenta in pregnant women and affect the baby. The mortality rate in reported cases of listeriosis may be of the order of 30 per cent. While adequate cooking will destroy the bacteria, bad handling or bad hygiene subsequent to cooking can result in cross-contamination, and good hygiene practice including adequate refrigeration is essential to reduce risk. This will be a central message of the Government's campaign on food hygiene which is to be launched very soon.