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Help i've eaten blue cheese- Need advice

11 replies

kbaby · 07/03/2004 11:58

I went to Old Orleans and eate a burger with blue cheese melted on top. I know i'm not to eat moldy and veined cheese but I left my brain at hope and didnt put the connection between blue and veined together.
I am now petrified that I will catcg Listeria and it will cause a still birth. Ive searched on the internet and all I can find is that pregnant women are 25 times more likely to get the infection than normal people.
Can anyone help. Im really worried and dont know what to do.
Thanks
kbaby 29+2 days

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marthamoo · 07/03/2004 12:06

I accidentally ate pate when I was about 35 weeks pregnant and panicked. I went to my GP and she said listeria is soooooo rare (1 in 10,000 pregnancies) that it really wasn't worth panicking about. I would contact NHS Direct and I'm sure they will put your mind at rest. Try not to worry (easy for me to say, I know).

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twiglett · 07/03/2004 12:09

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WideWebWitch · 07/03/2004 12:11

kbaby, you will very, very, very likely be fine. I had salmonella when pregnant (can't remember how pregnant, maybe 25 weeks ish?) and babe is fine. They advise you not to eat blue cheese since there is a small risk that you'll get listeria but it is a SMALL risk. Not everyone who eats blue cheese will get it. Not everyone who gets listeria will have a still birth. Ditto salmonella (and I was avoiding everything they tell you to avoid btw). It's highly unlikely to have done any damage imo. Will see if I can find some resassuring infor for you. Also if any cheese is cooked it's highly unlikely to give you anything and presumably this was since it was melted. I really don't think you should worry!

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WideWebWitch · 07/03/2004 12:27

OK, the chances of getting it are 1-2 IN A MILLION!! There's a nice reassuring stat! This is from the Association of medical microbiologists.

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zebra · 07/03/2004 12:32

The other, one "good" thing about Listeria is either it affects you or it doesn't; it's not like chickenpox or Rubella which can cause stillbirth or birth defects and even other problems that may not be diagnosed until baby is a toddler. With listeria you either get stillbirth or nothing. So if nothing happens, baby is definitely ok.

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sweetkitty · 07/03/2004 18:15

Wouldn't worry at all about eating the blue cheese the chances are like 1 in a million. The cheese was probably pasteurised and had also melted so the risk would be very very small and then you would need a significant number of Listeria bugs and these would need to survive your stomach acid and cross the placenta. Very very very very rare!

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collision · 07/03/2004 19:22

Im sure you will be fine. In fact, women throughout the whole of Europe seem to stuff themselves with all the yummy things we are told not to eat in UK. Next time I am pregnant I think I will do as the Europeans do. They even drink alcohol tho I personally wouldnt.

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kbaby · 07/03/2004 21:03

Thanks everyone. I also need to apologise for my terrible spelling in my message. I was in a bit of a rush this morning.
I called NHS direct who were really helpful and have said that if I get any flu like symptoms in the next 60 days to contact my GP who will perscribe antibiotics, but that the risk is low. I suppose you are all right in that French women eat it all the time. I just cant believe that I didnt realise that it was blue veined cheese.

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aloha · 07/03/2004 21:07

The newest advice from the US is that even mould ripeend and blue cheese is OK if it made of pasteurised milk!!

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pupuce · 07/03/2004 21:07

I hate loads of cheese too.... and had healthy kids It is very much a British thing!