STOCKHOLM, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has stated that infected chicken meat is believed to be the source of salmonella outbreaks in 11 European countries. The ECDC announced on Wednesday that they have identified at least 134 cases, including one fatality, with most of the cases reported between January and August. Additionally, the majority of the tested isolates demonstrated genetic changes that result in resistance to ciprofloxacin, a commonly used antibiotic for severe salmonella infections.
The infections have been linked to two sub-clusters of endemic Salmonella Enteritidis ST11, which consisted of 97 and 37 reported cases, respectively. The majority of the cases, including 29 from both sub-clusters, were reported in France, followed by Denmark with 22 cases from one of the sub-clusters, according to the ECDC. Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Sweden also reported cases.
From the 22 infected individuals in Denmark who were interviewed, 19 stated that they had consumed kebab or pizza that may have contained chicken before experiencing symptoms. In Austria, where 14 cases were reported and divided into the two clusters, nine out of 13 interviewed individuals confirmed that they had consumed chicken in various forms, such as kebabs, burritos, or schnitzels, before developing symptoms.
The ECDC emphasized the importance of thoroughly cooking meat and poultry, as well as preventing cross-contamination during food handling.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
