'Don't lick spoon' when cooking or baking with duck eggs warns HPSC as children fall ill with salmonella
The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre today (Tuesday) warned parents not to let children lick the spoon used in baking or cooking with duck eggs as an investigation continues into a salmonella outbreak.
So far in 2010, seven cases of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8 have been identified by HPSC and the National Salmonella Reference Laboratory, and have been linked to duck eggs by a public health investigation. At least three have occurred in children who licked the spoon used by their parents in food preparation, says HPSC specialist in public health medicine, Dr Paul McKeown.
"Many children love to lick the cake or food mixture from the spoon during baking and unfortunately in this outbreak it has probably resulted in some falling ill. As yet, the precise location and extent of the problem is not sufficiently clear for us to offer guidance on food distribution or recall so the only way to stay safe is by thoroughly cooking all duck eggs and by preventing cross-contamination between any raw egg and ready-to-eat foods. People should also wash their hands, any preparation surfaces and cooking utensils after handling or using duck eggs.
"The symptoms of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8 infection can include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever. Occasionally, the illness can be severe, especially in children and the elderly. Anyone who may have these symptoms after recently eating duck eggs or products made with duck eggs, should contact their doctor for advice.
"The investigation into the outbreak is ongoing. HPSC is continuing to work closely with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and public health colleagues to control this outbreak and to prevent further cases," said Dr McKeown.
Indigenous salmonellosis low in Ireland
In 2008, there were 449 cases of salmonellosis notified, equating to a national crude incidence rate (CIR) of 10.6/100,000.
For the last eight years, the incidence of salmonellosis in Ireland has remained reasonably steady with around 350-450 cases reported per annum. This is a decrease from the number of cases that were reported in the late 1990s, when the number of cases peaked at 1257 cases in 1998. For further information view the March edition of Epi-Insight.
Salmonella Outbreak Ireland, the UK - update 01/10/08
The HPSC, the National Salmonella Reference Laboratory and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) are currently working with national HSE public health partners and Public Health agencies in the UK and Europe to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella Agona (S. Agona). This outbreak was recently identified in Ireland and the UK, and now also in Austria, Finland, France and Sweden. Eleven cases have been reported in Ireland, an increase on previous years when three, five and ten cases of S. Agona were notified in 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
To date, 163 individuals have been notified as S. Agona cases, England (96 cases), Scotland (34 cases), Ireland (11 cases), Wales (11 cases), Northern Ireland (2 cases), Finland (1 case), France (3 cases), Austria (1 case), Luxembourg (2 cases) and Sweden (2 cases). Testing is underway to identify whether other individuals, also infected with salmonella species have the outbreak strain.
Information gathered by the outbreak control team has shown that contaminated products produced by Dawn Farm Foods, The Maudlins, Naas, Co. Kildare, have been associated with this outbreak. These include beef and bacon products which have been withdrawn from sale.
Further information is available on the FSAI website www.fsai.ie. For FSAI press releases click here.
People infected with Salmonella develop diarrhoea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. However, diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to warrant hospital admission. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness. Consumers who believe any food they have eaten has made them ill should seek medical advice.
Further information on Salmonellosis can be found here.
