I am heading to South Africa Tuesday morning – a 24 hour flight – to speak at a Listeria Conference on Thursday.

South Africa’s biggest consumer foods maker, Tiger Brands, has recalled products produced by its Enterprise unit after the government traced the source of a listeria outbreak that has killed almost 180 people and sickened nearly 1,000 to its Enterprise manufacturing facility. Tiger Brands said it has suspended operations at both Enterprise manufacturing facilities in Polokwane and Germiston.

Tiger Brands has asked consumers to remove any Enterprise ready-to-eat meat products from their fridges and place in a plastic bag – away from other foods. Tiger Brands, which owns Enterprise Foods, confirmed that Enterprise was undertaking a full national recall on all its ready-to-eat meat products.

This comes after Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Sunday that processed food manufacturers Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken Limited (RCL) have been issued with safety recall notices following the listeriosis outbreak in South Africa.

According to the Centre for Enteric Diseases (CED) and Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response, Outbreak Response Unit (ORU), and National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)/ National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), as of February 27, 2018, a total of 945 cases have been reported since 1 January 2017, with 30 additional cases recorded since the last update , February 20, 2018.  To date, 743 cases were reported in 2017, and 202 cases in 2018. Females account for 55% (516/943) cases where gender is reported. Where age was reported (n=909), ages range from birth to 92 years (median 19 years) and 41% (377/902) are neonates aged ≤28 days (Figure 2). Of neonatal cases, 94% (355/377) had early-onset disease (birth to ≤6 days). Most cases have been reported from Gauteng Province (59%, 555/945) followed by Western Cape (12%, 116/945) and KwaZulu-Natal (7%, 66/945) provinces. Outcome at the end of hospitalization is known for an additional 18 cases, bringing the total with known outcome to 635/945 (67%) patients. 176 (19%) patients are known to have died.