Listeriosis

Listeria is something I hadn't heard of until I was pregnant last year. At the time, I didn't know anything about it but decided to avoid deli meats and opt for tuna or a bowl of soup at lunch instead even though I believed that, in Canada, I would be safe. Although it is really unlikely that you will contract a disease, it can happen. Pregnant women who contract listeriosis may not experience symptoms more severe than a common flu but do risk - premature labour, still birth or passing the disease to their newborn.

Since it takes up to 70 days to present symptoms, the number of cases and deaths will continue to climb. I wonder about cases in newborns that lead to still birth or miscarriage not being reported because the pregnant mother may not even realize she has contracted the bacteria.

Something I've found disturbing about the outbreak coverage so far is how the media is applauding Maple Leaf's reaction to the crisis. Frankly this is the kind of thing that should put a company out of business. Their product has literally been tied to the deaths of 6 people. Why aren't we hearing from the families of the victims?

Our family tries to avoid processed foods mainly due to the sodium content but with this crisis we will probably avoid processed meat altogether from now on.