An adult has died with a confirmed case of the rare bacterial infection listeriosis as health officials continue to investigate an “extensive outbreak” linked to the recall of supermarket ready meals.
Nine cases have so far been linked to the outbreak, which prompted concerns over more than 140 ready meal products sold across the country.
Affected meals include pasta bakes, curries, turkey and ham dinners, pasta bolognese and beef stroganoff, and were sold at retailers including Tesco, SuperValu, Aldi and Centra.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has since confirmed the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) is investigating the death of an adult with listeriosis, an infection usually acquired by eating contaminated food.
The authority issued a recall notice this week on branded ready-made meals and side dishes produced by the Dublin-based Ballymaguire Foods due to the possible presence of listeria monocytogenes.
This is the bacteria that causes listeriosis.
In a statement, Ballymaguire Foods said it had initiated a full “precautionary” recall of all products produced at one of its facilities following the identification of listeria bacteria as part of a quality control check.
“Incidents of this nature are extremely rare for us,” it added. “We are treating it with the utmost seriousness and are working closely with all parties to manage the situation swiftly and responsibly.”
Retailers have since been ordered by the FSAI to remove the implicated products from sale, and to display recall notices at checkouts.
These products include a number sold under Tesco’s ‘Irish Classics’, ‘Classic Kitchen’, and ‘Finest’ labels, SuperValu’s ‘Freshly Prepared’ and ‘Signature Taste’, as well as Aldi’s ‘Specially Selected’ and ‘Inspired Cuisine’ labels. It also includes own brand labels from Tesco, SuperValu and Centra.
The recall notice also affected products from brands including The Happy Pear, Clean Cut Meals, Fuel’d Foods and From the Farm.
The full list of implicated products can be found here.
A spokeswoman for the Food Safety Authority confirmed the HPSC was investigating the death of an adult with listeriosis but, in order to ensure medical confidentiality, no further information on the deceased patient can be disclosed.
Symptoms of listeriosis include flu-like illness or diarrhoea. The time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing ranges between three and 70 days, with the average incubation period typically around three weeks.
Serious infection is uncommon. When it does occur, it is almost always in people that are particularly vulnerable to infection. This includes people with certain existing medical conditions, older people and pregnant women.
Infected pregnant women may have no symptoms or experience only a mild flu-like illness. However, infection during pregnancy can spread to the infant.