Namibia Reports First Listeriosis Case, Health Minister Says

(Bloomberg) -- Namibia reported the first case of listeriosis after a patient was admitted to hospital with the disease in the capital, Windhoek, this week.

Last week the southern African nation suspended imports of processed meat from neighboring South Africa where 183 people have died and 1,000 have been infected in the world’s biggest listeriosis outbreak.

“A man was admitted at the Roman Catholic Hospital in Windhoek early this week after he was diagnosed with listeriosis,” Namibian Health Minister Bernard Haufiku told lawmakers on Tuesday. The patient allegedly ate a hot dog-style sausage bought from a butchery in Tsumeb, 430 kilometers (267 miles) from Windhoek.

Namibia is a net importer of processed meat products from South Africa. The health ministry is monitoring the situation, Haufiku said.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alastair Reed at areed12@bloomberg.net, Jacqueline Mackenzie, Hilton Shone

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