Belgium hit by large Salmonella outbreak with 300 left ill after eating contaminated eggs

Belgium hit by large Salmonella outbreak with 300 left ill after eating contaminated eggs Health authorities warned the number of cases is expected to climb - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A Salmonella outbreak at a Belgian poultry farm has left at least 300 people sick and triggered mass egg recalls across nine countries, officials have said. Belgian health authorities told Food Safety News that the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak has surged from 236 cases in May, to 300 reported infections this month. Those who have reportedly contracted salmonella range from infants below the age of one, to a 96-year-old senior, with symptoms including severe fever, vomiting, and dehydration forcing many to seek hospital care. The outbreak’s origins trace back to Laerco BV, an egg producer in Belgium. Since, food inspectors have been able to pinpoint the exact bacterial strain from an unlikely source: a sample of dust collected inside a chicken coop. When regulators first detected the strain in May, contamination appeared confined to a single barn. However, recent testing has revealed that the bacteria had breached containment and spread to a second poultry house, forcing the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) to shut down and isolate the entire facility. Because eggs from the facility were shipped across European borders, the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed launched international warnings across eight neighbouring countries: France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Czech Republic. Authorities have urged consumers across these countries to inspect egg shells for the producer codes 2-BE-1073-01, 2-BE-1073-02, 2-BE-1073-03, and 2-BE-1073-04. Affected eggs carry shelf-life dates stretching through September 4. Health officials stress that contaminated eggs look, smell, and taste entirely normal. As labs take several weeks to undertake whole genome sequencing, Belgian authorities have said that the official tally of 300 cases is likely an underestimate. Meanwhile, health authorities across the English Channel are on high alert as the UK battles its own severe Salmonella outbreak. So far, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has recorded 207 confirmed cases across Britain — with London (47 cases) and Yorkshire (38 cases) named as the worst-hit regions. The British outbreak has resulted in one death and an unusually high 38 per cent hospitalisation rate among victims. While the UKHSA has confirmed that available evidence suggests the UK outbreak is linked to imported eggs, the country responsible for the the origin of the British cluster is yet to be determined. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments