Namibia health officials are reporting a confirmed case of Listeriosis in a 41-year-old man from Tsumeb town in Oshikoto Region.

The patient with a known chronic co-morbidity, was admitted to a private hospital in Windhoek on 5 March 2018. He had travelled from Tsumeb to Windhoek on 4 March 2018. On 12 March 2018, abdominal fluid bacterial culture isolated Listeria monocytogenes. The patient remains admitted in a stable clinical condition.

Preliminary investigations reportedly indicated that the patient consumed meat products (Viennas) purchased from a local butchery in Tsumeb two weeks prior to onset of illness. In-depth investigation, including food consumption history, is being undertaken. Food samples are also being collected for testing, as well as interviews with the business owner of the stores involved to trace the origin of the meat product.

Listeriosis outbreak in South Africa: Source traced to a food facility in Polokwane

Detailed investigations are ongoing to establish the source of this infection and any potential links between this case and the ongoing outbreak in South Africa.

Listeria monocytogenes, the common food-borne bacteria depicted in this illustration based on electron microscope imagery, can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labor in pregnant women. Image/CDC/James Archer
Listeria monocytogenes, the common food-borne bacteria depicted in this illustration based on electron microscope imagery, can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labor in pregnant women.
Image/CDC/James Archer