Pregnant women issued with warning after deadly bacteria found in batch of cheese - symptoms of listeriosis

Pregnant women have been issued with a warning after a dairy product was pulled from the shelves as it could contain listeria - a deadly bacteria found in food. The UK Health Security Agency, the government body which is responsible for public health protection and infectious disease, put out a tweet to warn expecting women and those with weakened immune systems to be cautious.

The UK Health Security Agency tweeted: “#Listeriosis is not usually serious for most people, but there are some groups at higher risk, like #pregnant women & those with weakened immune systems. The NHS website has info on what to do to avoid Listeriosis.”

The warning comes after the Food Standards Agency recalled a type of speciality cheese after Listeria monocytogenes had been found in a batch. Somerset Cheese Company recalled its Pennard Red Goats Cheese on Monday (April 3). The NHS website states if you get listeriosis while you’re pregnant, there is a risk it could cause miscarriage or stillbirth.

The Food Agency website states symptoms caused by this disease can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. However, in rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications, such as meningitis.

Some people are more vulnerable to listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.

The batch of cheese affected has a batch code of 03/10/2022 and a use by date of April 28 2023. The FDA website says if you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, contact the Somerset Cheese Company for a full refund. For further information contact the Somerset Cheese Company at 01749 860237 or email [email protected]

Symptoms of listeriosis

The NHS website says in most people, listeriosis has no symptoms or only causes mild symptoms for a few days, such as:

• a high temperature of 38C or above
• aches and pains
• chills
• feeling or being sick
• diarrhoea

• If you’re pregnant, you may also have a stomach ache or notice your baby moving less than usual. Babies with listeriosis may also be irritable and feed less than usual.

How you catch listeriosis

Listeriosis is usually caught from eating food containing listeria bacteria. You can get it from lots of types of food, but it’s mainly a problem with chilled, ready-to-eat foods, such as:

• cooked sliced meats and cured meats
• smoked fish and cooked shellfish
• blue veined and mould-ripened soft cheeses, like camembert and brie
• pâté
• pre-prepared sandwiches and salads
• some pre-prepared fruit, including melon slices
• unpasteurised milk
• dairy products made from unpasteurised milk

The NHS website advises expecting mothers to call ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if they think they could have listeriosis.