Contaminated eggs imported into Britain and served in cafes and restaurants have been identified by the UK Health Security Agency as the source of a salmonella outbreak that has infected 207 people across the UK. One person has died and 34 have been hospitalised.
People do not need to avoid eggs altogether, but experts advise choosing UK-produced eggs carrying the red lion mark and cooking eggs or egg dishes until the yolk and white are firm, or to 71C.
How salmonella spreads and affects people
Salmonella is a group of more than 2,500 types of bacteria that can cause infection in humans. In the UK, most illness is caused by a small number of those types, which are commonly found in contaminated animal products including meat, dairy and eggs.
The bacteria can spread through contaminated drinking water, contact with animals, person-to-person transmission and poor food hygiene. Risks include allowing cooked food to come into contact with raw or undercooked food, storing food in conditions that let bacteria multiply and failing to cook contaminated food thoroughly.
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- Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.
- Some people also experience severe tiredness and sore muscles or joints.
- Symptoms can begin within a few hours to a few days.
Who can become seriously ill
Salmonella causes gastroenteritis, a gut infection that leads to food poisoning. Most people recover without treatment, although antibiotics may be needed in some cases, particularly when infection is severe or affects vulnerable people.
Children, older adults, people with suppressed immune systems and those with underlying health conditions can be more severely affected. In some cases, the bacteria spread from the gut into the bloodstream, causing a dangerous sepsis-like illness.
How to reduce the risk from eggs
Kimberly Coffin, technical director of supply chain assurance at LRQA, said the safest consumer choice is to buy eggs produced in the UK that carry the red lion mark. Those eggs come from hens vaccinated against salmonella.
More context: Cyclospora outbreak infects thousands in US, source under investigation.
Consumers should not use cracked or broken eggs, or eggs with visible wet or dry residues. Washing dirty eggs does not reduce the risk and can increase it by allowing contaminants on the shell to enter the egg. The UK has vaccination, food standards and controls designed to reduce salmonella risk, but the outbreak shows that no system is failsafe.
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