Week 6 Part 5 Outbreak Investigation

Listeriosis Narrated Slides 5 1

So, now we're going to look at the lessons learnt by the country following the experience
of the listeria outbreak. Yes, as a country, we do have lessons learned. We learned that
data from all sectors across the food chain should be shared and analyzed regularly.
From NICD we do have human health data. But we don't have animal health data, don't
have food monitoring data, all of the data, if it's continually shared and analyzed, that
would mean we are having Integrated Food Chain surveillance. Currently, we don't have
that snd if anything happens, we want to know can only see what humans are presenting
with. But we have no clue what is happening in the animal have no idea what is happening
in the food monitoring data. So, in conclusion, did we meet our objectives? Yes, we
managed to establish the magnitude of the outbreak. The EPI-curves that we shared in
the slides are depicted the three big cities were the hardest hit in those were Gauteng
Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal. For so the source of the outbreak was identified and
eliminated from the public through traceback then recalled and the recommendations
were provided following source identification. That is the closing down of the implicated
facilities, guidance and advice to the public, especially on the use of the WHO five keys
to safer food and lastly, engagements with the complicated facilities were ongoing thing
new database was put in place, better communication and coordination channels were
put in place. The Listeriosis was made notifiable in South Africa for better data availability
regarding the condition and also surveillance was strengthened and the epidemic
Preparedness and Response Plan was put in place. And lastly, food safety legislations
way renewed in the new ones way put together. How are we doing now that the outbreak
has been declared over in terms of Listeriosis? Yes, the outbreak was declared over by
the honorable minister on the third of September 2018, and from that date, until today,
we are back to baseline levels. We are not seeing any increase in the number of
Listeriosis cases, and we have not had any sequence Step six detected since then. So,
we doing well and we continue monitoring our daily number of cases. So, there are
resources available at the NICD website. That's www.nicd.ac.za and the resources
include notifiable medical conditions, materials, notifiable medical conditions forms. The
case investigation forms, clinical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. And if you go to
diseases A to Z, you you will find anything that has got to do with any disease that you
click on. So. for Listeriosis, you will have to go to L. And then lastly, we also have
frequently asked questions that are uploaded on our ICT website. Thank you.