Eggs infected with salmonella
Photo: The Egg and Poultry Board
Sharp increase in summer salmonella cases
Data released by Ministry of Health shows more people have contracted salmonella in Israel during July-August than during any comparable period in past seven years; current salmonella epidemic said to be from affected eggs; 14 European countries also face outbreaks of the virus.
The Ministry of Health's epidemiological department has noted a significant increase in the number of people contracting salmonella in Israel during the summer months of July-August compared to the same period over the past seven years.
Some 1,327 people contracted salmonella during July and August, compared to only 1,084 last year. In previous years the number of people taken ill with the disease was also smaller: 825 in 2015, 1,007 in 2014 and 943 in 2013.
Eggs suspected to be contaminated with salmonella removed by ambulance (Photo: The Egg and Poultry Board)
Israel is not alone in the salmonella outbreak however, as the bacteria's prevalence was found to also be on the rise in 14 European countries including Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Norway and Sweden. The European outbreak, it is believed, can be traced to eggs imported from Poland.
The Ministry of Health presumes the Israeli contagion also came from eggs, and has therefore resolved to look into the matter more closely.
"We can't be sure of the exact number of people afflicted with salmonella because not everyone comes in for treatment," said Prof. Koby Moran-Gilad from the Ministry of Health's public health services and Ben Gurion University.
"The chances of contracting it depends on several variables, such as the particular strain of salmonella, how virulent it is and how much of the affected food was contaminated with the bacteria," he explains. "Some people contract it but never develop the actual disease, while some suffer a great deal. Symptoms include diarrhea and intestinal tract problems, but the disease may in some cases lead to harsh complications and even death among at-risk populations."
The Ministries of Health and Agriculture announced Wednesday tests have found the enteritidis strain of salmonella in egg-laying coops in northern Israel. Upon discovery of the results of these tests, marketing of affected eggs was halted immediately.
While the amount of eggs suspected to be infected by the virus comprises less than one percent of the total number of eggs marketed in Israel, in absolute term the number is staggering, at 11 million eggs.
The Ministries of Health and Agriculture called upon the public to not consume eggs carrying the "Yesh Maof" marketing brand, found in any store or retailer stamped with any date before October 20, 2017, fearing they are infected with salmonella.
Already, fears have been heightened as a 50-year-old woman, said to be in serious condition, was recently hospitalized for 10 days at Haifa's Rambam Hospital as a result of salmonella.
Preliminary tests conducted at the Ministry of Health's labs however show the salmonella which the woman is suffering from differs to the strain related to contaminated eggs.
