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Journal of Transmitted Diseases and Immunity
ISSN: 2573-0320 Page 33
Volume 4
May 10-11, 2018
Frankfurt, Germany
Immunology Research 2018
Tissue Science 2018
JOINT EVENT
2 2 n d E d i t i o n o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e o n
Immunology and
Evolution of Infectious Diseases
&
1 2 t h E d i t i o n o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e o n
Tissue Engineering and
Regenerative Medicine
Listeriosis is the new and deadly disease emerging after
years of being the quiet one sitting in the corner while
HIV and Malaria caused havoc and massive outbreaks and
mortality rates sky rocketing. Our population is well informed
and up to date on most of the diseases and as soon as listeria
was mentioned in the same sentence as processed foods, we
created mass hysteria in all the emergency departments with
worried patients, ill-informed patients and really sick patients,
with very little knowledge about listeria. I want to discuss the
pathogenicity as a re-emerging disease we have not heard from
in a long time with very little information regarding pandemic
and epidemics. Being in the midst of the hysteria, I think giving
an inside view and up close, first-hand experience on what
happened as soon as the outbreak was confirmed leading up to
the massive explosion of patients literally running to ED after
the source was confirmed as one of our leading manufacturers
and producers of processed meat. We have had around 180
deaths in SA due to Listeria especially in the age groups of the
very young, elderly, pregnant and immunosuppressed patients.
The biggest factor leading to the outbreak initially was that we
were not looking for it as we were so focused on Malaria as
leading cause of fever and confusion etc. at the time of the
outbreak and NICD confirmed that Malaria deaths doubled
in 2017 vs. 2016. Listeriosis was monitored and regarded as
a minor infection, but, while everyone was focused on travel
history, Listeria was silently killing dozens. I would like to
include the basic information as to what, where and how as
the simple things were missed while we were looking for
complicated illnesses
Biography
Rochelle is a registered medical practitioner, completed her studies in 2010
at the University of Pretoria. She finished her Diploma in Emergency Medi-
cine in 2017 along with her certificate in Travel Medicine in 2016. She ac-
complished her dispensing license and have been updated with ATLS, ACLS
and PALS in South Africa. She works for one of the busiest, private hospital,
Emergency departments in South Africa seeing a multitude of trauma and
medical emergencies. She is interested in Family and Travel Medicine prac-
tice affiliated with the ED with a special interest in Aesthetic Medicine. She
is currently serving on the executive board for the Society of Travel Medi-
cine in South Africa working closely with the NICDwith all infectious disease
monitoring in SA and submitting interesting case studies to Federation of
Infectious Diseases in SA (FIDSSA) on behalf of SASTM.
The Hysteria surrounding Listeria in South Africa
Rochelle Van der Merwe
South African Society of Travel Medicine, South Africa
Rochelle Van der Merwe, J Transm Dis Immun 2018, Volume 2
DOI: 10.21767/2573-0320-C2-005