Food and Nutrition: Food Borne Illness in Australia (Listeria)

Running head: FOOD AND NUTRITION 1
Food and Nutrition: Food Borne Illness in Australia (Listeria)
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FOOD AND NUTRITION 2
Abstract
Foodborne illnesses have been considered as a severe situation in Australia and
especially among the aboriginal citizens. Hence, it is equally vital to look for possible
solutions to the circumstances. The motive of this study is to provide an understanding of the
current situation of the problem of foodborne illnesses as a result of bacterial and viral food
poisoning. An introduction paragraph is included, and it contains some of the concepts of
foodborne diseases followed by a thesis statement which summarises the motive of the study.
The paper is then arranged to discuss various issues revolving around the illnesses with the
help of subtitles. The cases of foodborne diseases give a glimpse of the numbers of infections
and hospitalization in Australia. The paper further discusses the four human groups who
happen to be highly susceptible to the virus. Several ways to prevent the situation is
discussed, and a conclusion is included which restates the motive and the contents of the
whole paper and further recommends one of the ways that can help reduce the situation.

FOOD AND NUTRITION 3
Introduction
Human beings are prone to infection by various diseases. The causative agents of
human diseases ranging from known controllable factors, known uncontrollable factors and
to some extent, unknown factors which can, however, be controlled (Brown et al. 2017). If
the causative agents of disease are unrecognizable, there would be high chances of many
people succumbing to such a condition within a short period. Listeria can be defined as
bacteria which causes diseases to both human beings and other warm-blooded organisms
through the contamination of food (Soon, Manning & Wallace, 2016). Australia, in recent
decades, has fallen a victim of the bacteria. The condition caused by the bacterium is derived
from its name and thus commonly recognized as Listeriosis. Various types of food have been
a cause of Listeriosis with the most recent instance including the death of several people
arising from the consumption of rockmelon from a single producer.
This study would be considered necessary as it discusses the causes of foodborne
illnesses in Australia, their effects and the general preventive measures which when applied,
would reduce the risks and thus improve the standards of living of Australians.
Cases of Foodborne Illnesses in Australia
Based on the research work that was done by Chousalka et al. (2018), there is
evidence that foodborne diseases form a significant factor that contributes to the morbidity of
Australian citizens. Australia is known to have some form of disparity in terms of healthcare
provision especially between the aboriginal and the non-indigenous Australians. Incidents of
foodborne diseases or rather listeriosis have been recorded of late. Some of the cases are
emanating from the consumption of contaminated eggs, rockmelon, and many other food
substances. The number of people who had fallen victims of the foodborne disease tragedies
is reported to be 2009. Out of the 2009 people, 2000 were ailing while the remaining nine