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Baby nearly dies after mum eats fruit

Most pregnant women have a good idea of what they shouldn’t be eating. No soft cheeses, raw eggs, sashimi or salami - but should you also be careful of some fruits and salads?

Sydney mum Amelia Liddy-Sudbury was pregnant with her third child when a few pieces of rockmelon landed her in hospital and almost killed her baby boy.

It's believed she got listeria from pre-cut fruit. Photo: Getty
It's believed she got listeria from pre-cut fruit. Photo: Getty

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She had contracted listeria, a type of food poisoning that is particularly dangerous to pregnant women, the sick and the elderly, and the likely culprit was a container of pre-cut fruit.

Amelia was seven months pregnant when she was taken to the doctors with flu-like symptoms, and a fortnight later, her precious son was delivered.

He was five weeks premature and had to be treated with antibiotics, but thankfully he survived.

“It’s a deadest miracle he is alive,” she tells the Sunday Telegraph, “Once you are diagnosed with listeriosis, that’s usually it, the baby is dead.”

While quite rare, listeria can be very dangerous and kills one in five people who get infected. An outbreak in Victoria at the end of last year left one person dead and six seriously ill, however it generally affects less than 100 people across the country each year.

Thankfully her baby was saved. Photo: Getty
Thankfully her baby was saved. Photo: Getty

It’s advised that pregnant women steer clear of “foods that are high risk for Listeria contamination, including pre-prepared fruits and salads, deli meats, soft serve ice-creams, and unpasteurised milk products," according to associate Professor Martyn Kirk from ANU.

Other high risk foods include cooked ready-to-eat prawns, cold cooked chicken (including in sandwiches), raw oysters, smoked salmon, soft cheeses, pate and anything that’s passed its 'best before' or 'use by' date.

As in Amelia’s case, pregnant women should also avoid pre-packaged fruit, veggies and salads. The same goes for pre-cut or prepared fruit and salad at buffets and salad bars.

You can find a helpful list of foods to avoid here.

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