The public prosecutor's office Kassel examines whether a number of illnesses and deaths are connected with listeria-contaminated sausage of the Hessian meat goods manufacturer Wilke. According to the agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has reported 37 cases of illness to the police, 25 of whom have since died.
All of the average 74-year-old sufferers were therefore infected with Listeria of the type Sigma 1 between autumn 2014 and summer 2019. The RKI associates this bacterial strain with the sausage manufacturer. (Read here how the inspectors found the operation after closure).
First, the "Bild" newspaper had reported on the infected list, which is now being examined by the prosecutor. "It is now being determined whether there is a causal connection between infection and death, and what symptoms of the disease have been caused by listeriosis," the agency said. All deceased therefore had "in some cases considerable comorbidities, which could have been the sole cause of death".
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The operation of the sausage manufacturer Wilke in the Hessian district of Waldeck-Frankenberg was closed at the beginning of October. Previously, Listeria had already been discovered in products in March. Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) are bacteria that occur in nature. Only a few people get sick of the so-called listeriosis. In healthy adults, the infectious disease usually runs inconspicuously or takes a harmless course with flu-like symptoms. The infection is dangerous for immunocompromised people, the elderly and pregnant women.
So far, the RKI has linked three older of the listed deaths directly to Wilke. But even this connection "from prosecution point of view, so far not fixed and requires the education," said the prosecutor.
Operation in Lower Saxony is resting on suspicion of Listeria
Also the operation of the company Fleisch-crown delicatessen in the Lower Saxon municipality of Essen, the responsible state office for consumer protection and food safety because of a Listerien suspicion for the time being closed. Previously, the authority had already closed the company's location in Goldenstedt temporarily.
The company recalled finished meatballs last week for listeria contamination (read which products are affected). In the meantime, the state office has lodged a complaint with the public prosecutor's office against those responsible for the company. Diseases are not yet known in connection with the company's products.
For the Essen location, the Ministry and State Office have now jointly examined the withdrawal of the operating license. The reliability of the entrepreneur is questioned, said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Consumer Protection. The entrepreneur could not prove that he had reported at self-inspections Listerien finds found the official food control. For this he had been obliged to violate hygiene regulations.
