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 These include beef and bacon products which have been withdrawn from sale.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.