GENOVA – “Listeria infections, even very serious ones, have always existed, bringing numerous cases of meningitis and sepsis to hospitals and infectious disease wards every year”. So Matteo Bassetti comments on the alarm launched in recent weeks for the possible presence of listeria monocytogenes in some batches of food such as wurstel, salmon and sweet gorgonzola, now withdrawn from the market.
As the Ministry of Health writes, in Western countries, listeriosis is an increasingly public health problem important. Although less frequent than in other zoonoses (e.g. salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis), the disease can manifest itself with severe clinical pictures and high mortality rates, especially in frail subjects such as the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and immuno-compromised adults who experience fever, chills and muscle aches, as well as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The alarm for the bacterium was raised in newspapers and on TV. “I find that the listeriosis alarm, launched today – Matteo Bassetti writes on his Facebook profile -, in the columns of national newspapers is unjustified and wrong. To say that meats and cheeses are at risk for contracting this unpleasant bacterium, is like throwing a stone hiding your hand “.
“I hope this alarmism does not represent a speculation linked to the fact that Covid – Bassetti continues -, today the public is less interested. On infectious diseases, the public should not be alarmed, but educated and guided on the path of prevention “.