Salmonella in children 324 cases in the European Union and the United Kingdom

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDCfor its acronym in English) for 324 cases salmonella typhi (266 confirmed, 58 probable) in the European Union, the European Economic Area (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden) and the United Kingdom, according to their latest update published this Wednesday. In case SpainAlready registered A total of 3 cases of salmonellaTwo are certain and one is probable.

Published data on the rapid assessment of the outbreak salmonella typhi monophasic Chocolate Products Manufactured at a factory in Arlon, Belgium, this update includes two different breeds of monophasic S. In addition, cases have been identified in Canada, Switzerland, and the United States. The majority of infections (86.3 per cent) are among children aged 10 years and under, and of all cases in the EU and UK with available information, 41.3 per cent have been hospitalized and No deaths have been reported For now.

The country with the highest number of reported cases is UK with 109 total cases Salmonella is in children, followed by France with 81 cases, Belgium with 64 cases, and Germany with 22 cases. It is followed by Ireland (16 cases), Austria (14), Spain (5), Sweden (4), the Netherlands (3), Denmark and Luxembourg (2), Norway and Italy (1 case).

Multi-resistant Salmonella strains

as explained by ECDCThe Two strains of salmonella They are multiresistant, and some of the analyzed isolates are also resistant to disinfectants based on quaternary ammonium compounds and hydrogen peroxide, but remain susceptible to azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, meropenem, and third-generation cephalosporins. The Epidemiological investigations and microbiological Specific chocolate products Manufactured at the processing plant in Arlon, Belgium, as far as possible Infection compounds.

Monophasic outbreak strains of salmonella typhi it has been It was identified in ten of the 81 positive samples from salmonella Taken in the factory between December 2021 and January 2022, including raw materials (whey), semi-finished products and finished products. The whey was supplied by an Italian supplier as salmonella was not detected. The Italian supplier also delivered the whey to other production plants of the company, and according to available tests, no salmonella was detected in the other plants.

In addition, the center made sure to ensure the closure of the Belgian processing plant on April 8, 2022 and the global recall of all of its products. Reduce the risk of exposureHowever, new cases may occur due to the long shelf life and possible storage of products at home.

The effect of salmonella on public health

the effect on Public Health strict Implementation of control measures It could be reflected in the significant decrease in reported cases between weeks 14 and 15 April 2022. However, of the 156 cases reported in this outbreak with the available dates, the average delay between disease onset and notification to the national surveillance system was three weeks with a limit Maximum five weeks. It is also more likely that cases in countries that did not report cases would have gone undetected if cases were not routinely sequenced.

Finally, there are eight inexplicable cases of consuming chocolate products from the same processing plant in Belgium, suggesting that they too There may be other sources of infectionalthough secondary infection, which cannot be excluded.

The ECDC continues to monitor the situation It encourages member states to to be alert for new cases and investigation of human infections with strains that have multidrug-resistant properties. Further sequencing of these isolates is recommended, and ECDC provides sequencing support for countries with sequencing capacity.genome sequence limited or none. In addition, ECDC . encourages public health authorities To cooperate closely with food safety authorities in affected countries.