listeria while pregnant
Listeriosis is a rare infection caused by bacteria called listeria. It usually goes away on its own, but can cause serious problems if you're pregnant or have a weak immune system. How you catch listeriosisListeriosis is usually caught from eating food containing listeria bacteria. You can get it from lots of types of food, but it's mainly a problem with:
Information: These foods do not always cause listeriosis. If you have eaten them recently, you do not need to do anything unless you get symptoms of the infection. You can also catch listeriosis from:
Symptoms of listeriosisIn most people, listeriosis has no symptoms or only causes mild symptoms for a few days, such as:
If you're not pregnant and do not have a weakened immune system, you can usually look after yourself at home if you have these symptoms. Find out how to treat diarrhoea and vomiting yourself Urgent advice: Get advice from 111 now if:
You may need a blood test to check for the infection and antibiotics to treat it. 111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one. Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111. Other ways to get helpA GP may also be able to help you. Ask your GP surgery for an urgent appointment. If you're pregnant, you can call your midwife for advice. Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if you get:
These could be symptoms of meningitis caused by listeriosis, which needs to be treated in hospital straight away. How to avoid listeriosisThere are some simple things you can do to reduce your risk of getting listeriosis. Do
Dont
Foods to avoid if you're pregnantIf you're pregnant, you should avoid eating foods that have the highest risk of causing listeriosis. These include:
Find out which foods to avoid during pregnancy ImportantIf you're pregnant, you should also avoid close contact with farm animals that are giving birth or have recently given birth. Page last reviewed: 20 October 2020 |