More than half the people in the UK say that their health has been negatively affected by the rising cost of living, according to a YouGov poll. Rising energy and food prices can certainly harm people’s health in many ways – but there’s one way that hasn’t been much discussed. As a food-safety expert, my concern is that it might increase rates of a particularly deadly food poisoning called listeriosis.
Listeriosis is food poisoning caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Symptoms might begin a few days after a person has eaten contaminated food, but it can take 30 days or more before the first symptoms appear. These can include a high temperature, aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. But for people with weakened immune systems, listeriosis can result in severe life-threatening issues, such as meningitis and sepsis.
Although the number of people who get listeriosis each year is low, the disease is particularly deadly. Even with antibiotic treatment, between 20% and 40% of people with listeriosis die. So even a small increase in cases is still bad news.
