Sunday, September 15, 2013

Walsh Salmonella Outbreak Spreads To England

There are 57 confirmed cases , 36 of them in England. They range in age from seven-month-old baby to 87 years old.. Nine people have been treated in the hospital.
The new clusters in England include West Yorkshire, Thames Valley, Cumbria and Lancashire.
Experts from Public Health Wales (PHW) have been working with Public Health England, the Food Standards Agency and environmental health officers to find possible links between the cases and trace the source of the outbreak, after it was initially reported last month.
The suppliers have still not been traced but the link to cooked ham is common in the cases so far. They have tested a number of butchers who supplied hams but no trace of salmonella was found. Other hygiene issues were identified that led to one supplier voluntarily withdrawing certain batches of ham.
"Although it is an unpleasant illness, people who become ill with salmonella generally make a full recovery." Last month, five of the 22 people from north-west Wales, including children, were hospitalised but have since been allowed home.
The outbreak began in mid-July, with public health officials saying it was not concentrated on one particular town or locality. Health officials say 22 cases have been confirmed with the same unique strain but they have yet to find a common link.
Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at PHE, added: "Investigating outbreaks of foodborne illness is a complex process as people have to try and remember what they ate some weeks prior to becoming ill.
"In this instance many reported eating cooked meats. The FSA is following all possible leads along with Environmental Health to try and establish the source of the outbreak. This process is ongoing"

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