They have already been confirmed 80 cases of listeriorisis in Andalusia for the consumption of meatloaf: 56 people continue to be admitted, four of them in Intensive Care Units (ICU).
Between them, there are about 15 pregnant women hospitalized. And is that eating food contaminated with bacteria listeria monocytogenes, it can cause the delivery to go ahead or even the loss of the baby.
Serious consequences for pregnancy
Last week a pregnant woman lost her baby in the last trimester of pregnancy. The woman suffered a placental abruption, which precipitated an abortion. When analyzing the pouch where the fetus developed in the womb, it tested positive for listeriosis.
In addition, another Sevillian woman had to advance the delivery to week 33 to prevent the infection from reaching the fetus.
And there are more pregnant women admitted to Sevillian hospitals for having tested positive for the culture of the infection, as Luis Miguel, the partner of one of those affected to the Sixth, comments: "So we are more burdened because we don't know how this will affect the baby."
This infection, caused by the bacterium 'listeria monocytogenes', is found in nature and can be contracted through the consumption of contaminated foods such as raw milk, cheese made with raw milk, raw or undercooked meat, raw vegetables or sausages ...
In Babies and moreListeriosis in pregnancy: what are dangerous foods and how to prevent itAlthough it is a rare infection, there are population groups more susceptible to listeriosis, such as pregnant women, fetuses and newborns, because of the hormonal changes of pregnancy and that affect the mother's immune system. It can be transmitted to the fetus through the placenta, even when the mother shows no signs of the disease.
Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to suffer from this disease than other people: a third of cases of listeriosis occur during pregnancy.Attention to symptoms
This infection can lead to premature birth, abortion, delivery of dead fetus, or full-term children with severe sequelae, especially neurological, and can cause mental retardation.
Because, you have to be very alert to your symptoms and, if they appear, go immediately to the doctor:
Similar to the flu: chills, fever, headache.
Diarrhea.
Back pain.
Stomach ache.
It can be treated with certain antibiotics that can often prevent infection of the fetus or newborn.
The origin of the poisoning
According to the Ministry, all hospitalized patients are in Seville, although five cases have also been detected in Huelva and three in Malaga, Granada and Cádiz respectively.
But they may appear more in the next few hours, since the symptoms of the infection take between one and four weeks to appear, and consultations in the emergency department of people with gastrointestinal problems, fever and muscle aches, symptoms that are associated with This poisoning
In Babies and more18 foods that are prohibited during pregnancy and may harm your babyThe origin of the outbreak was detected five days ago, on August 14. The next day, the General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Organization of Andalusia issued the sanitary alert on the shredded meat with the commercial name of 'La Mechá', manufactured by the Sevillian company Magrudis.
The company says it banned the sale of meat and paralyzed its production when it had "the definitive evidence" that this product was the causative agent of listeriosis outbreaks.
But for the FACUA Consumer Association it is not enough. His spokesman, Rubén Sánchez, asks that it be issued "An alert that knows the possibility that there are cases of listeriosis for the consumption of this product has been sold exclusively or not in the Andalusian autonomous community."
It is expected that the Minister of Health and Families, Jesús Aguirre, appear today before the media to explain the development of the outbreak, with experts in Epidemiology and Public Health.
While the exact details are known, the best that pregnant women can do is follow the advice for safe eating, such as not eating cold cuts, cheeses or raw meats without cooking.
Photos | iStock
