In a follow-up to a report yesterday, NSW Health is now confirming 15 listeriosis cases linked to the national rockmelon outbreak, three of whom have died.
Dr Vicky Sheppeard, Director Communicable Diseases NSW Health, said four of the additional cases are from Victoria and one is from Tasmania. The onset of their illness occurred the week after the initial ten cases, most recently on 22 February.
“All 15 cases are elderly people, and most of them have significant underlying health conditions,” Dr Sheppeard said. “Six of these cases, including two of the people who died, are from NSW.
“We can confirm that 13 of the 15 cases consumed rockmelon before the onset of their illness. People vulnerable to listeriosis should discard any rockmelon purchased before 1 March.”
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Listeriosis starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and sometimes diarrhoea. The symptoms can take a few days or even up to six weeks to appear after eating contaminated produce.
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Listeria is found widely in the environment and rarely causes serious illness in the general population, but for vulnerable people, such as those who are over 70, pregnant, or have diabetes, cancer or suppressed immune systems, it can be extremely serious or even life threatening. Typically around one third of cases die.
NSW Health is continuing to work with the NSW Food Authority and other state and territory departments on the investigation into the outbreak. The NSW Food Authority has advised the outbreak has been linked to one grower in Nericon NSW and is continuing its investigation to determine the cause.
