The ministry of Health has banned importation of meat products from South Africa following the ******** of the ****** Listeria *******.
In a letter to all county public health officers and port health officers, Director of Public Health Kepha Ombac** says all meat products already in the market s**uld also be recalled.
“In order to ensure that the health of the public is protected and as a precautionary meansure, you are required to stop the importation and sale of these products in the market while at the same time recall t**se that are already in the market. This information s**uld be shared with all retail outlets so that they don not place the products on the shelves for sale,” he says.
The listeria ******** has ****** 180 people since January 2017, with nearly 1,000 cases reported.
The country’s government has blamed producers of cold meat products for delays in tracing the cause.
“This is the largest ever recorded ******** of this severe form of listeriosis globally,” Peter K. Ben Embarek, w** manages the World Health Organisation (W**) International Food Safety Aut**rities Network, said.
The government, which has been criticised for taking too long to find the cause, on Sunday linked the ******** to a meat sausage known as “polony” made by Tiger’s Enterprise Food.
It also said it was investigating a plant owned by RCL Foods that makes a similar product, w**se shares also slid on Monday before recovering.
Several southern African states have banned processed meat from South Africa after it said it had identif*** the source of a food ********* ********.
It ordered a recall of the product, prompting s**ps to clear their shelves.
Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana and Zambia followed suit, all ordering a recall or suspending imports.
After health aut**rities ordered a recall of polony, supermarkets like S**prite, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths cleared it from their shelves, along with bacon, sausages and other processed meat products.
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Custo**** descended on the outlets to return their purchases and demand a refund.
Here is Dr Ombac**’s letter to health officials:
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