Joshua Parfitt
A SECOND person has fallen victim to a bacterial infection following Spain’s ‘largest ever’ outbreak of listeriosis.
A 72-year-old man passed away today from complications due to listeriosis in an Andalusian hospital.
Listeriosis – caused by the bacteria listeria, found in contaminated foods – most affects at risk groups such as the elderly, newborns, pregnant woman and the infirm.
The deceased man was suffering pancreatic cancer.
But health spokesman for the southern Andalusia region, José Miguel Cisneros, said listeriosis ‘accelerated’ his illness.
A total of 186 people are believed to be suffering from the bacterial infection.
Of these, 99 are in hospital – 31 of whom are pregnant – and four are in intensive care.
Spain’s Ministry of Health issued an alert on August 15 after confirming the presence of the listeria bacteria in the ‘carne mechada’ pork product by Seville-based brand La Mecha.
According to a statement, this week the Ministry passed the alert to the EU and the WHO ‘given the possibility that cases might be detected in other countries’.
The entire batch of ‘carne mechada’ has now been recalled from shops following the alerts, with parent company Magrudis SL ceasing production on August 15.
The health alert initially named two more La Mecha products that could be infected with listeria: lomo al jerez and lomo a la pimienta.
A further 12 products from the La Mecha brand have now come under the health alert.
These include:
- Crema de carne mechada 250g
- Crema de carne mechada 465g
- Manteca colorá 250g
- Manteca colorá 465g
- Pringá estilo casero 250g
- Pringá estilo casero 465g
- Zurrapa de hígado 250g
- Zurrapa de hígado 465g
- Zurrapa lomo blanca 250g
- Zurrapa lomo blanca 465g
- Zurrapa lomo roja 250g
- Zurrapa lomo roja 465g
Zurrapa de lomo blanco 
Zurrapa de higado 
Prigá estilo 
Manteca colorá 
Crema de carne mechada
The distribution of these 12 products has been to mostly Andalusia, and to a lesser extent in Madrid and Catalonia, according to to Spanish Agency on Health and Nutrition.
But the products are believed to have travelled as far Catalonia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León and the Canary Islands.
