Toll from listeriosis outbreak in S.Africa jumps to 172

Johannesburg (AFP) – Listeriosis in South Africa has killed 172 people since the start of last year, officials said Thursday, as the country struggles to contain the world’s largest reported outbreak of the disease.

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said 915 cases of listeriosis — a disease caused by bacteria typically transferred through contaminated food — had been confirmed since January 1 2017, leading to 172 deaths.