According to research undertaken by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), cancer patients have a five-fold increased risk of developing listeria than people with other underlying conditions – and those with cancers of the blood have the greatest risk.
The incidence of listeria in England and Wales has increased in recent years, with 2.1 cases per million of the population between 1990 and 2000 to 3.6 cases per million in the period 2001 and 2009. This increase also revealed greater numbers of cases in people over 60 years of age. Similar increases have also been seen in other countries in Europe. In addition to cancer, diseases of the liver, kidney and connective tissue, as well as alcoholism, diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammation of the intestines were also found to increase the risk of developing listeria. Dr Bob Adak, head of epidemiology services in the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA, said: “Our research has shown that those receiving cancer treatment or suffering from a variety of conditions, including diabetes, kidney or liver disease, should be offered appropriate health advice on how to avoid listeria. At present this is given passively and mainly to pregnant women, but clearly there are other groups of people who need to be advised on what they can do to protect their health.”
