BRUSSELS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua/GNA) – The number of people infected in a salmonella outbreak, linked to contaminated eggs in Belgium, has climbed to 312.
This was after six new cases were reported this week, Belgian media said Wednesday, citing the latest data from Sciensano, Belgium’s national public health institute.
Sciensano said the outbreak was not yet over, but the number of new infections was declining, suggesting that it may have begun to subside.
The outbreak has been linked to a laying-hen farm in Geel, Antwerp Province. Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) had previously said the contamination was detected in late April, prompting the first egg recall in May.
Further testing later found salmonella in another poultry house at the farm, leading to the suspension of all production and another large-scale recall in August. The affected eggs were recalled in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Belgian media also quoted Liesbeth Van de Voorde, a communication specialist at the FASFC, as saying that this was a record Salmonella outbreak in Belgium.
Previous media reports said dozens of infected people had been hospitalized, while two infection cases were reported abroad.
Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Young children, older people and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of developing severe symptoms.
GNA