Research and analysis

HPR volume 12 issue 45: news (14 December)

Updated 21 December 2018

Listeriosis in England annual report in summary

Listeriosis is a rarely reported disease in England and Wales, with only 135 cases reported in 2017 (an incidence rate below 3 cases per million of the population), a 17% decline compared to the average for the previous 6 years. Nevertheless, due to the severity of the infection, the high case fatality rate and the impact on vulnerable groups, listeriosis remains an important public health concern.

National surveillance of listeriosis in England and Wales – co-ordinated by the Gastrointestinal Infections team within PHE’s National Infection Service – involves the collation of routinely-collected epidemiological, clinical and microbiological data for cases of the disease.

A summary of listeriosis surveillance data for 2017 has been published [1]. Further top findings are as follows:

• in 2017, the majority of listeriosis cases (as in previous years) were over the age of 60, with men aged 70 and over being the biggest single risk group
• pregnancy-associated infections accounted for almost a fifth of reported cases and, where known, almost a quarter of pregnancy-associated cases resulted in miscarriage or still birth
• among non-pregnancy-associated cases of listeriosis, death was reported for 30.3% of cases
• incidence of listeriosis varied geographically, with the lowest incidence in East of England (0.08 per 100,000 population) and the highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (0.35 per 100,0000 population)
• 4 listeriosis outbreaks were investigated in 2017 along with 2 incidents with single cases, one linked to raw milk/cheese, the other sandwiches.

As a predominantly foodborne infection, listeriosis is largely preventable. It is essential that sporadic cases of illness and clusters of disease continue to be monitored and investigated to inform the continued risk assessment of the food chain.

In most cases, listeriosis infection is unnoticed or cases only experience mild symptoms – such as vomiting and diarrhoea – that usually pass within a few days and do not need treatment. More serious infection can develop in those with weakened immune systems, or in vulnerable groups – including babies, the elderly and pregnant women. Pregnant women should avoid eating foods that have the highest risk of causing listeriosis, including some uncooked soft cheeses, unpasteurised dairy products and undercooked foods.

Reference

1. Listeriosis in England and Wales: summary for 2017. Data from the national surveillance system for Listeria monocytogenes.

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Infection and vaccine coverage reports in this issue of HPR

Vaccine coverage report

• Quarterly vaccination coverage statistics for children aged up to 5 in the UK (COVER programme): July to September 2018

Vaccine-preventable disease reports

• Laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal infection (England): July to September 2018
• Laboratory confirmed cases of pertussis (England): July to September 2018

Bacteraemia report

• Laboratory surveillance of uncommon pathogens causing bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2017.