Victims of the listeriosis outbreak demand responsibility for our children

Victims of the listeriosis outbreak demand responsibility for our children

theto Ngobeni was just 18 days old when doctors put a shunt in the back of the head for the first time to derive excess liquid from their brain. It was born with an illness known as hydrocephalus. According to doctors, this disease was caused by a listeriosis infection that her mother suffered during pregnancy.

difficulties for the family

Now, at the age of seven, Theto had to go through six operations to replace her shunt for infections and constipation. The hospital calculations have used up the health insurance of the family of five, which forced them to sell their house in order to pay the increasing debts. "We still owe a lot of money to the hospital and the banking institute," said Theto's mother, Montlha, who even had a double hip surgery due to the listeriosis infection at the age of 37. "It is very difficult and we are all alone. Nobody helps us."

what is listeriosis?

Listeriosis is a food-related disease that is caused by Listerien-bacteria. It can lead to serious diseases in risk groups, including older people, infants and pregnant women. Pregnant women can transfer the infection to their unborn children, which can lead to lifelong health problems with the brain, the kidneys or the heart.

Montlha is part of more than 1000 people who were infected in South Africa between January 2017 and mid -2018, in an epidemic that from the World Health Organization as The largest listeriosis epidemic in the world . The deaths recorded amounted to at least 216, including 93 newborns under one month and nine children aged 14 and below, according to the South African Ministry of Health.

The connection to contaminated foods

In an analysis in March 2018, South African health authorities the outbreak with consumed meat products, mainly polony , which in one from tiger brands , the largest food producer in the country, was manufactured. According to the temporal information from the Ministry of Health, the contaminated products were produced and sold for over a year.

Litigation and compensation

Almost seven years after the outbreak, a crime lawsuit levied against Tiger Brand is not yet completed in the name of Montlha and more than 1000 other plaintiffs, although evidence clearly link the outbreak to the company from the local health authorities. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs have suffered “listeriosis and harm” after consuming contaminated products from Tiger Brands what the company denies in its legal documents.

comparison with other epidemics

The responsibility of Tiger Brands

Given the ongoing legal process, Montlha says that she desperately hopes that Tiger Brands "do the right thing". "Our innocent children suffer for something they did not eat. (Tiger Brands) owes us an apology and then compensation," she added. Nthabiseng Ramanamane, another plaintiff who suffered listeriosis during her pregnancy and who gave birth to an affected child, also asks Tiger Brands to take responsibility. Her son suffers from severe health restrictions.

"I was often a buyer of Tiger Brands products. I loved the sausages and thought it was safe," said Ramanamane. "I never thought that it could cost my whole life and that my son's life would steal."