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Fourteen deaths have been associated with a multi-country Listeria outbreak linked to fish products that has been ongoing for more than a decade. There have been 73 Listeria monocytogenes infections in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom since 2012. The 14 deaths have been due to or with Listeria monocytogenes infection.

An assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revealed Germany has the most infections with 39 and 10 deaths. The Netherlands has 20 cases and two deaths. The first sporadic case was reported in the Netherlands in 2012, followed by two patients in the UK in 2015.



Between 2019 and 2023, the annual number of illnesses has been at least five. In 2023, 16 cases were reported, the highest annual number. The most recent case was in the Netherlands in January 2024.

Males over the age of 60 represent the most affected group. Sick people range in age from 24 to 91 years old. Most patients interviewed reported consuming various fish products before the illness.

Seven of nine patient interviews in Germany said they ate fish before getting sick. Products included smoked salmon, halibut, mackerel, trout, and eel. In the Netherlands, 13 of 15 cases reported fish consumption.

Spread of outbreak strain The cluster includes 83 non-human isolates, of which 48 are food isolates and six are environmental, with traceability data corresponding to 37 .

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