The 2017-2018 listeriosis outbreak in South Africa was the largest and deadliest listeria outbreak on record with over 1,000 reported cases of listeriosis and over 200 deaths. The Department of Health traced the source of the outbreak to a contaminated sausage known as Polony, which had been produced by a local facility. The outbreak affected hundreds of individuals and families and highlighted the severe shortcomings of South Africa's fractured food safety system.

Our podcast delves deeply into the human stories beyond the stark statistics that tend to dominate the narrative of the listeriosis outbreak. We comprehensively explore the biological, social, political, and legal dimensions of this outbreak, while intertwining personal accounts from victims and their families. We examine the unique biological traits of Listeria that make it a particularly elusive pathogen and discuss how the unique demographic characteristics of South Africa's population increase susceptibility to such infections. Additionally, we consider how historical structures, such as the enduring legacy of Apartheid and racial and socioeconomic disparities, compounded these vulnerabilities, contributing to the scale of this public health crisis. Advances in Whole Genome Sequencing played a crucial role in tracing the source of the outbreak, underscoring the importance of scientific progress in managing health emergencies. Our aim is to shed light on the complexity of the outbreak through the stories of those impacted to underscore the insufficient justice provided to the victims, highlighting the need for systemic change.

Produced by Valentina Angel, Eleanor Casey, and Teela Hamner

These podcast episodes were created by members of the 2025 Winter Capstone course in the Human Biology and Society major at UCLA's Institute for Society and Genetics (https://socgen.ucla.edu/). The faculty sponsor is Christopher Kelty. For questions or concerns email [email protected].