It's the complaint you probably never really heard about before this week. But now suddenly, everyone is talking about - and worrying about -
listeriosis. It's an affliction caused by listeria, the same bug that's been found in
suspected tainted meat made by Maple Leaf Foods.
A huge recall has been underway most of the week, and at least one death has been tied to the contamination, with other fatalities now being probed for a direct link.
And while no one is suggesting you eat meat that may have been affected by the outbreak, the ailment is primarily hazardous to specific types of patients.
"Most [people] ... if they ingest listeria bacterium, their gut immunity, their status is good enough that it really doesn't cause any illness and it passes through," explains Dr. Allen Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health. "That's why the warning is more to those that are susceptible. That's the elderly, the young, under the age of one, and pregnant women."
CityNews Medical Specialist Dr. Karl Kabasele agrees, noting if you're relatively healthy overall, even if you get ill it won't likely last long.
"Most people either have no symptoms or may have sort of a mild, you know, food poisoning type picture. In rare cases when you get a lot of the bacteria, it can leave the intestinal tract, invade the body, cause an inflection in the blood but it can also cause meningitis. That tends to be only the people who are more vulnerable."
The best advice? If you think you may have the kind of meat that's affected by the recall, simply get rid of it.
"The old adage when it comes to food safety is, 'when in doubt throw it out,'" Dr. Kabasele reiterates. "Ideally you should have a look at the recall list. If any of the products in your fridge are on the list of course throw them out. But sometimes people will remove the packaging or they may have some open product. Again if you have any doubts at all just throw it out."
In the end, you may lose a few bucks. But you won't lose your health, which is far more valuable and much harder to replace.