Third death in Australian listeria outbreak

Red alert if your immune system is weak, obviously that may include people with HIV. Soft cheeses made by Jindi sold before Jan 6th have all been taken off the shelves. Three people have died from it so far. The problem is that a 70 day incubation period means that people likely will still get sick after eating cheeses before that date. 

So if you've eaten anything made by Jindi cheese before Jan 6th, then I guess go see a doctor and get yourself checked out. It appears healthy people are OK.

A NSW man has been confirmed as the third fatality in Australia's largest outbreak of listeria.

The death of the 68-year-old man late last month was confirmed by Victoria's acting chief health officer as being linked to the outbreak at Jindi, one of the nation's biggest cheese companies.

The outbreak, which has been traced to the company's factory in Gippsland, Victoria, has been linked to the deaths of an 84-year-old Victorian man and a 44-year-old Tasmanian man.

Twenty-six cases have been identified so far, including a NSW woman who had a miscarriage.

Victoria's Department of Health maintains it acted promptly to contain the outbreak, which came to the attention of authorities in mid-December and led to the recall of more than 100 cheese products, but it has warned there could be more cases and further fatalities.

''I'm confident the intervention that has been put in place with terrific co-operation from Jindi is absolutely appropriate and is the best possible,'' said the acting chief health officer, Michael Ackland. ''Unfortunately because of the 70-day incubation period for listeria, there will almost certainly be people who have consumed cheese prior to the recall who may still get sick … that could go on for another couple of months.''

Listeria can cause illness or death in the elderly and people with low immune systems, and miscarriage and neonatal infection in pregnant women, but many healthy people show no symptoms. Read more