• Victims: A 72-year-old man with terminal cancer who had listeriosis dies
  • Analysis: Batches of shredded meat contaminated with listeria packaged in June are detected
  • Report: The Board detected one month before the alert a rebound of listeriosis cases
  • Error: The Board admits a "two or three day lag" in the detection of the listeriosis outbreak
  • Q&A. What is listeriosis and what are its symptoms?

The listeriosis outbreak that keeps Spanish health authorities in suspense and, above all, Andalusians, is already in the hands of Justice. It has been the Prosecutor's Office in Seville that, on Friday, has taken the initiative and opened the first official investigation outside the strictly sanitary to clarify whether in the contamination of the meatloaf that has infected about 200 people there has been some type of criminal responsibility, some crime.

Sources of the Sevillian Prosecutor's Office have confirmed to EL MUNDO de Andalucía the opening of what is technically known as investigative proceedings , some research promoted and carried out by the Public Ministry itself and that could result in a complaint before the court if the results They confirm that there are indications of crime.

In the specific case of the listeriosis outbreak, the suspicions are directed towards the Martínez León Commercial Company, which sold Magrudis meatloaf but without its brand. In fact, as it was known this Saturday, he sold it without any label, a "very serious" deficiency according to the Ministry of Health.

The investigation occurs after receiving an official notice from the Ministry of Health and Families notifying you of the facts that have occurred and the results of the research that, so far, have been compiled.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Catalina García, explained on Saturday that the complaint was filed with the Prosecutor's Office after a client revealed that what Martínez León did was to repack the meat by removing the mark and adding only the expiration date.

The Health report was received at the Prosecutor's Office in Seville on Thursday, a week after the health alert was activated by the Board, and when the first results of the analysis of the samples taken at the Magrudis factory that confirm that the contamination by the listeria could occur in the rovers, the machines that introduce the stuffing into the meat.

As a first step, from the Public Ministry, additional documentation has been requested from Health, specifically the inspection report of Martínez León, and in the next few days, next week, the investigations will continue.

Criminal complaint

The opening of these investigative proceedings occurred on the same day that the Facua consumer association has filed a criminal complaint against the Magrudis company for an alleged crime against public health, to which other announcements are expected to be added, for example, from the Patient Advocate association.

Facua has requested the opening of an investigation for what he considers to be a crime against public health , as well as for those who could be warned during the judicial investigation, against Magrudis, but also against any other natural or legal person involved and with responsibility in what happened.

With the complaint, the consumer organization has contributed the case of an affected person from the Sevillian town of Utrera who claims that she consumed contaminated meatloaf on the 14th, when it is assumed that the Andalusian Board had already confirmed the outbreak and its origin in the shredded meat and that it had been immobilized.

Two days later, says Facua, this woman began to experience the symptoms associated with listeriosis and went to the Virgen del Rocío hospital in Seville, where they took samples and prescribed an antibiotic. As of today, it has not yet fully recovered.

The outbreak

Meanwhile, the listeriosis outbreak has claimed a new fatality , the second and already affects 190 people, according to the latest official data provided by the Junta de Andalucía. The first deceased was a 90 year old woman.

The second deceased is a 72-year-old man who was in a very precarious health situation. In fact, he was a cancer patient with metastasis who was in palliative care and who, after passing away, has tested positive for the bacteria.

The health authorities are now trying to clarify whether his death is related to the outbreak since "it is not known" that he had ingested the contaminated shredded meat , as explained by the spokesman of the technical cabinet of the Board, Dr. José Miguel Cisneros.

The outbreak was officially declared on August 15 , but already at the end of July an abnormal rebound of cases was detected.

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