LEAFLETS WARNING pregnant women of the dangers of eating certain food have been produced in different languages because of a rise in the number of listeria cases last year.
Listeriosis, which is caused by the listeria bacteria, is potentially harmful to foetuses. It can pass across to the placenta and cause abortion, premature birth or a miscarriage.
Nine pregnant women in Ireland last year contracted the disease and two lost their babies.
Five were non-Irish nationals and there are fears that the warnings given to Irish-born women about not eating certain food stuffs during pregnancy are not being passed on to foreigners living in Ireland.
Safefood, the all-Ireland food safety promotion board, in conjunction with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the State's specialist agency for the surveillance of communicable diseases, has now produced a leaflet in five languages: Polish, Latvian, Croatian, Czech and Arabic, warning of the dangers of contracting listeriosis.
GPs and baby clinics constantly warn about the dangers of foodstuffs such as moulded cheeses like Camembert, pâtés, pre-packed salads and cold meats.
While such foods do not normally pose a threat, in pregnant women, where the immune system is reduced, they can have potentially catastrophic consequences.
"There were 19 cases of listeriosis in Ireland last year. It seems like a small number of cases, but the symptoms and consequences are so serious for pregnant women that they should all get the message about listeria," said Dr Thomas Quigley, the science and technical director of Safefood.
"There is a lot of information available at the general practitioners and clinics that is in English, but we are concerned that a number of non-Irish nationals are not getting this information in this format.
"In addition, we have found that many pregnant women, who are not Irish, do not realise that medical services are free for them and so they avoid going to the doctor."
The recent increase in pregnancy-associated listeria cases has primarily affected women who have recently entered Ireland from Eastern Europe, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. These groups are particularly at risk.
Dr Paul McKeown of the HPSC said: "Pregnancy is a time when expectant mothers take a lot of care with many aspects of their lives. Simple measures such as ensuring that the fridge is in good working order with the temperature between two and five degrees, eating food that is well within its use-by date, so that harmful bugs will not have had time to grow and practising good general food hygiene will reduce the risk of listeriosis."
The warning is given, not just to women who are pregnant but those thinking of becoming pregnant, to avoid high-risk foods, such as soft cheeses, pâté and pre-packed salads and coleslaw, until they have given birth.
The leaflet, which is entitled Listeria and Pregnancy, contains useful information and advice on how pregnant women can protect themselves and their babies throughout their pregnancy.
• Copies of the leaflet are available from Safefood by calling 1850 40 4567 or from www.safefood.eu.