The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC, for its acronym in English) has alerted this July 27 about an outbreak of salmonella that affects several countries in Europe and whose origin, according to the investigations that continue to be carried out, seem be cherry tomatoes.
The outbreak began in France in August 2022 and the last registered case occurred in Sweden on June 24 of this year.. At the moment, there are 92 people affected, of which 81 are confirmed cases and another 11 continue to be studied.. In addition, one person has already died from this infection.
How did the outbreak start?
The salmonellosis outbreak was first detected in France in August 2022. The strain was detected there in a plate of mixed salad that contained cherry tomatoes among green leafy vegetables and that was made specifically on August 17 of that year.
It was a few days later, on August 22, when the first case of salmonella derived from this outbreak was confirmed. Since then, another 16 cases have been registered in the French country and the number of those affected has been increasing throughout Europe, although the authorities assure that the majority have occurred between October 2022 and March 2023 and that the current risk of exposure It is low.
How many affected are there?
So far, a total of 14 countries have been affected by this salmonella outbreak.. To the 16 that have been reported in France, we must add many others spread throughout the European continent: Germany has 26 affected, Finland with 12, Sweden with 11, Austria and the Netherlands with 5 cases each, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Czechia with 4 affected and Norway, Ireland and Estonia with a single case. In addition, two other similar cases have been reported in the United States. In Spain, for the moment, there has been no case.
In total, 92 people have been affected by this outbreak of salmonellosis. Of these, 81 are confirmed cases, while another 11 are still under study.. According to the center there is also one deceased among all those affected.
The origin: cherry tomatoes
According to the investigations that continue to be carried out, the origin of this salmonella outbreak is tomatoes, specifically its cherry-shaped variety, popularly known as cherry tomatoes.
Authorities have investigated tomatoes from France and Austria, where the outbreak is believed to have originated, and have led to wholesalers in Spain, the Netherlands and Germany and tomato growers, also located in Spain, the Netherlands and Morocco.
However, it has not yet been possible to establish any microbiological evidence in these tomatoes, so it has not been possible to detect the point of infection and/or contamination in the companies and producers investigated.
How is salmonella?
As stated by this organization, salmonellosis is an infection that affects humans after eating raw or undercooked food contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
Although the incubation period and its symptoms may depend on the type and number of bacteria ingested, as well as the immune status of each person, it is normal for symptoms to appear 12 to 36 hours after consumption of these foods.
These include fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, accompanied by nausea and vomiting.. These symptoms usually last only a few days and antibiotic treatment is not needed, although due to dehydration, hospital admission may be necessary.. In the case of the elderly or people with suppressed immunity, a salmonella infection can be fatal.