Smoked salmon has been advised to be avoided by pregnant women, older persons, and people with impaired immune systems.
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) and British food standards agencies have been looking into a listeria outbreak linked to fish.
According to the NHS, listeriosis is a rare condition that can produce symptoms similar to the flu, such as fever, aches and pains, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
After consuming infectious foods including ready-to-eat sandwiches, raw vegetables, unpasteurized milk, and some processed foods like deli meats, symptoms typically appear 24 hours later.
It also includes cured and smoked fish, such as salmon, which health officials warn can be dangerous if consumed while undercooked or past its prime.
Certain populations are at “higher risk of severe illness from listeriosis,” according to a risk assessment by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its Scottish counterpart.
Anyone expecting a child should stay away from smoked salmon, the FSA and Food Standards Scotland advised Tuesday.
According to the agencies, listeria infections can cause miscarriages or sickness in newborn infants.
The hazards have also been warned about for persons who have cancer, diabetes, liver disease, or generally have weakened immune systems, such as those receiving chemotherapy.
Elderly people, defined as those 65 years of age and over, are also advised to review the FSA’s guidelines on what listeria is and how to lower the risk of infection.
Along with smoked salmon, the FSA also lists smoked trout and gravlax, a speciality of the Nordic region made of fresh salmon preserved in salt and sugar.
According to the organisation, cold-smoked salmon carries a minimal risk of transmitting listeriosis to high-risk persons, but it does carry a significant risk of illness severity.
This indicates that among higher-risk groups, there is a chance for serious disease, hospitalisation, and death.
According to specialists in food safety, several ready-to-eat items can serve as Petri dishes for listeria, providing the bacteria with the ideal environment to grow.
The listeria that might be nestled inside “cold-smoked fish,” which is typically described as “smoked” on the container, and cured fish are not sufficiently heated to eradicate them.
To make sure it is safe to eat, all fish should be fully cooked, or it can be eaten cold after being refrigerated in the refrigerator.
After the first cases of listeria monocytogenes connected to smoked salmon were made public in 2020, health officials began an investigation into these cases.
Data from the NHS shows that there have since been 19 confirmed cases of listeriosis. Four persons passed away.
Professor Robin May, the FSA’s principal scientific advisor, stated that “our risk assessment shows that there is still an ongoing risk to health associated with eating cold-smoked fish for specific groups of vulnerable people, including pregnant women and individuals with impaired immunity.”
We are urging these consumers to stay away from ready-to-eat cold-smoked and cured fish products in light of the risk assessment.
If you fall into the category of persons who are more susceptible to listeria infection and decide to eat these items, we strongly advise that you cook them to a scalding hot temperature throughout first.
This will guarantee that any listeria in the product is eliminated before consumption.
According to Dr. Gauri Godbole, a consultant microbiologist at the UKHSA, “most people who are affected by listeriosis will have no symptoms or experience mild diarrhoea that subsides in a few days.”
“Those who are more susceptible may be at risk of developing severe illnesses like meningitis and sepsis that could be fatal.”