Two Australians die after listeria infection from smoked salmon - New York Post

Two Aussies were killed and a third sickened by listeria infections — apparently caused by smoked salmon they had eaten, according to a new report.

One of those who died lived in New South Wales and the other was from Victoria, health authoritiestold the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Both were over the age of 70 and had “significant underlying health conditions,” according to a statement from Australia’s chief medical officer, obtained by the network.

The non-fatal case occurred in Queensland, authorities said.

Officials believe that the contaminated fish originated from Tasmania, where most of the country’s salmon comes from, according to the report.

Salmon naturally contains the bacteria listeria — but for the elderly, the sick and pregnant women, it can be deadly even at normal levels, according to the report.

Listeria is most often present in chilled seafood, some fruits, soft cheeses, deli meats, refrigerated meat spreads, soft-serve ice cream and unpasteurized dairy products, according to the report.

“Unfortunately, these foods pose a small but real risk to people who are vulnerable, so the message is really for vulnerable people to avoid these foods, rather than the general population,” Tasmania’s director of public health, Mark Veitch, told the outlet.

Each of Tasmania’s salmon producers has been cleared of food safety law breaches, Premier Will Hodgman told the network in a statement.

“The public health officer has also been involved to assure Tasmanians and the suppliers and, indeed the recipients of Tasmanian salmon, as to the quality of that product,” he said.

The state’s two largest suppliers — Tassal and Huon Agriculture — both said they were unaware of any evidence linking their companies to the reported illnesses. A third producer, Petuna, also said it was not involved.

A person infected with listeriosis will first experience flu-like symptoms like fever, chills, muscle aches and nausea — but sometimes those symptoms don’t manifest for weeks.

The deaths are “a timely reminder for people to ensure that food is handled, prepared and stored safely, and that those most at-risk of listeriosis avoid certain foods,” the chief medical officer said in the statement.

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