Balearics health minister Patricia Gómez confirmed yesterday that there is a case of listeriosis in Majorca. The food-borne infection is caused by the listeria bacterium.
Son Espases Hospital had sent samples from a patient in a private clinic to the National Microbiology Centre in Madrid in order to check on any relationship with meat products under the Sabores de Paterna brand.
Products with this brand name, which are distributed to various parts of Spain, including Majorca, have been linked to the listeriosis outbreak on the mainland, principally in Andalusia. There have, in all, been 215 confirmed cases; 207 of these are in Andalusia.
Last Saturday, the public health directorate in the Balearics issued advice not to eat any Sabores de Paterna products. There are two outlets for them, both in Palma, and one of which - Truitalia on Calle Blanquerna - has been closed. As yet, there is no proof of products sold in Majorca having been responsible for the listeriosis case. A further line of investigation is that products were bought by a private individual, possibly from an establishment on the mainland.