Salmonella infections in England have returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 11 outbreaks reported in 2022.
Salmonella enteritidis has returned to being the most frequently reported serotype, and Salmonella Typhimurium infections have also increased, according to the UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA).
In 2022, there were 8,125 people infected with Salmonella in the UK, compared to 5,033 in 2021, 4,712 in 2020 and 8,398 in 2019.
The number of Salmonella enteritidis reports jumped from 747 in 2021 to 2,044 in 2022. Salmonella Typhimurium infections increased from 1,219 cases in 2021 to 1,731 cases in 2022. Salmonella infantis took third place with 310 reports, followed by Salmonella newport, Mbandaka, Agona and Virchow.
Data are obtained from the Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS) and eFOSS (Foodborne and Non-Foodborne Electronic Outbreak Surveillance System) of the Department of Gastrointestinal Infectious Diseases and Food Safety (One Health) (GIFSOH).
The age group with the highest number of test reports was children under 10 years of age. This category accounted for 26 percent of inspection reports. Patients were evenly divided between men and women.
London had the highest number of Salmonella tests reported at 1,631, and the region with the highest reporting rate at 18.4 per 100,000 people. The North East had the lowest number of salmonella cases reported at 408, while the East Midlands had the lowest reporting rate at 11.5 cases per 100,000 people.
In 2022, more than 66,700 salmonella infections were recorded in 30 countries in Europe and the European Economic Area (EEA), resulting in 81 deaths. France, Germany and Spain have reported more cases than England.
Outbreak details
Eleven outbreaks were recorded in the UK in 2022, affecting 591 people, four of which were caused by Salmonella typhimurium.
The worst toll was in England, with 133 people, 26 of whom were hospitalized. This was caused by contaminated Ferre Kinder’s chocolate. Another 91 cases were linked to meat products. Cooked food contaminated with Salmonella typhimurium caused 24 illnesses and two deaths. Five people fell ill after drinking raw milk at the farm.
Two Salmonella Infantis outbreaks were associated with chicken meat. The first case was 50 people and the second case was 58 people.
A Salmonella Mbandaka outbreak linked to chicken caused 112 cases, resulting in one death and 10 hospitalizations.
A Salmonella geuretapii outbreak involving 47 patients was linked to kebab meat, and a Salmonella agona outbreak involving 16 patients was caused by cucumbers.
Fresh coriander served at the restaurant made 33 people sick and four hospitalized with salmonella java. The source of the other Salmonella bacteria that affected the 22 people has not been found.
Some of these outbreaks also involve other countries. The Salmonella Typhimurium chocolate outbreak has resulted in 455 laboratory-confirmed cases in 17 countries.
As of March 2024, the Salmonella Mbandaka outbreak has sickened at least 300 people in seven countries, including 173 people in the UK. The outbreak strain was found in frozen chicken breast from Ukraine.
The Salmonella Agona incident affected more than 100 people in three European countries. Spanish cucumbers are thought to be the source.
The UK has also been implicated in a Salmonella Virchow outbreak caused by chicken kebab meat and a Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak linked to cherry tomatoes.
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