GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Health Department has confirmed four cases of listeriosis in the Garden Route: one in George, one in Knysna and two in Mossel Bay.
Listeriosis is the food-borne disease that has claimed over 30 lives nationally this year.
Marjorie Smit, wife of Piet, the patient from George, told the George Herald that her husband had been extremely ill and spent three weeks in hospital after being diagnosed with listeriosis infection.
He has been recovering at home for the past two weeks.
"I want to make people aware of it so that they realise that it can happen to them. My husband was feeling fine one morning and went to work in the garden.
"However, later he did not want to eat as he was feeling somewhat queasy. Within two hours he was flat on his back in hospital with the shakes. He was nauseous and had diarrhoea. It was awful."
Smit says they suspect that her husband's immune system had been low because of a stressful and busy period he had gone through.
"I would advise people to take care and adhere to the correct hygiene principles."
Listeriosis is caused by bacteria commonly found in soil, water and contaminated food sources.
The listeria bacterium is destroyed by conventional cooking, so freshly cooked foods are safe to eat.
It can grow in refrigerated foods that are already contaminated, so ensure that the temperature of your fridge is kept below 4°C and the deep freeze below -18°C.
Read a previous article: Listeriosis not in the Garden Route yet
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