Australia: Salmonella
cases blamed on raw eggs
Source
of Article: http://www.smh.com.au/national/salmonella-cases-blamed-on-raw-eggs-20090409-a281.html
THE number of salmonella infections reported to NSW health
authorities has jumped 37 per cent and poor handling of food, particularly
raw eggs, is to blame.
The director of communicable diseases at NSW Health, Jeremy McAnulty,
said there have been 1020 notifications of salmonellosis this year.
"Because only a small proportion of people seek care and are
tested for salmonellosis, this represents an estimate of approximately
7000-8000 infections in NSW," he said.
NSW Health and the NSW Food Authority said investigations of recent
outbreaks indicate the cause of infection is most likely poor handling of
food.
Five of the outbreaks were due to foods containing raw eggs as the
source, infecting more than 170 people. They occurred in a range of
settings and there is no reason to believe there is any risk to the public,
Dr McAnulty said.
"Anyone who gets salmonellosis should keep up their fluid intake
and seek medical advice if symptoms persist," he said.
Louise Hall
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