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ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH LISTERIOSIS IN SD? - CALL MINISTRY

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MANZINI – Do you have a feasible suggestion on how best Swaziland can deal with listeriosis effects? Contact the Ministry of Health.


This was said by the Director of Health, Dr Vusi Magagula, when asked whether government was doing enough to enlighten and protect the public about listeria.
This follows a concern raised by the Swaziland Consumers Association on government being too relaxed about the disease while Swazis are most likely to be at risk. The association’s Chairman, Bongani ‘Bhanyaza’ Mdluli, was of the view that although government issued a directive that processed meats should be thrown away, it was also of utmost importance to look out for the consumers’ interests.


Mdluli said the only information that the public had was that they should bury or burn their products which, according to him, was as good as not informing the public at all. His concern was that government did not highlight the repercussions of burning these products, such as if the smoke would not be harmful to humans or the environment.

The specifications in burying the products are also not stated. In his opinion, Mdluli said to show that government was doing more than just taking directives from the South African counterparts, a task team should be put to ensure that their public complied with the Ministry of Health’s call to get rid of their products while also having sufficient evidence should lawsuits be necessary in cases where locals are confirmed to have developed listeriosis.


 “We don’t need a situation whereby lives are claimed before government takes action against the disease. It’s best that action be done now while there are no cases recorded. Should it happen that at the end of it all, no products have been contaminated, it would still be best because we would have at least adopted preventive measures,” he said. Responding to this, Dr Magagula said government was doing a lot to ensure that the public was protected from developing listeriosis, hence the call to discard everything.


He said in as far as he knew, informing the public on what to do with their products was the best action that government could do to prevent cases where people lost their lives to listeriosis. According to the director, there were suggestions on how best to handle the situation but none of them were feasible except for warning the public not to consume processed meats pending investigations in South Africa. “In as much as I share the sentiments by the association, storing these products would be a logistical nightmare because the country does not have a cold storage equipped to store the products.

Having people storing individuals’ products for the sake of safekeeping for cases where lawsuits are filed against retailers or distributors would also be too much work whereas there are no cases confirmed in the country yet,” Magagula said. Nonetheless, he said any other suggestions were welcome and should they be prove to be feasible, they might be utilised to ensure people’s lives are safe.  Regarding the smoke from burnt products, Magagula said it was not harmful but was the same as burning any other meat.
Asked whether the ministry was conducting its own tests on these products, Magagula said he was not sure yet but emphasised that all health facilities were ready for examining and treating patients who might develop the disease.

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