A Salmonella outbreak linked to a Belgian poultry farm has sickened at least 300 people and prompted the recall of eggs distributed across nine European countries, health officials have confirmed.
Belgian health authorities told Food Safety News that infections caused by Salmonella Enteritidis have risen from 236 cases recorded in May to 300 cases this month.
Those affected range from babies under one year old to a 96-year-old adult. Reported symptoms include high fever, vomiting and dehydration, with some patients requiring hospital treatment.
Investigators have traced the outbreak to Laerco BV, a Belgian egg producer. Food safety officials identified the outbreak strain after testing a dust sample collected from inside one of the farm’s chicken houses.
When the bacteria was first detected in May, officials believed the contamination was limited to one barn. Further tests, however, found the same strain in a second poultry house.
The discovery prompted Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) to close and isolate the entire facility while investigations continue.
Eggs produced at the farm had been exported to other European countries, leading the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed to issue warnings to France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Consumers in the affected countries have been advised to check egg packaging and shells for producer codes 2-BE-1073-01, 2-BE-1073-02, 2-BE-1073-03 and 2-BE-1073-04. The recalled products have best-before dates extending to September 4.
Officials have warned that contaminated eggs may show no visible signs of spoilage. They can look, smell and taste normal despite carrying the bacteria.
Belgian authorities also believe the current figure of 300 infections could rise. Laboratories may need several weeks to complete whole-genome sequencing, meaning additional cases could later be linked to the outbreak.
Meanwhile, health officials in the United Kingdom are monitoring a separate Salmonella outbreak that has also been associated with imported eggs.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has so far confirmed 207 cases across Britain. London has reported the highest number with 47 infections, followed by Yorkshire with 38.
The UK outbreak has been particularly serious, with one death reported and about 38 percent of confirmed patients requiring hospitalisation.
Although the UKHSA says available evidence points to imported eggs as the likely source, officials have not yet identified the country from which the eggs responsible for the British outbreak originated.
Source: Independent
