EU Salmonella Cases Dropped 17% in 2009

PARMA, ItalyThe number of Salmonella outbreaks in humans in the European Union dropped 17 percent in 2009, marking a decrease for the fifth consecutive year, according to a new report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Reduction targets set by the European Commission to reduce the spread of Salmonella in poultry, eggs and chicken meat are likely to be the primary reasons for the reduction in human cases. In 2009, 17 member states met their Salmonella-reduction targets for laying hens and that the proportion of EU laying hen flocks infected with the targeted Salmonella types continued to fall3.2 percent in 2009 compared to 3.5 percent in 2008.

Campylobacteriosis was the most-reported disease in humans, increasing to 198,252 cases in 2009 compared to 190,566 in 2008. Campylobacter was mostly found in raw poultry meat; and in live animals, it was found in poultry, pigs and cattle.

Salmonella was the second-most reported infection in humans, accounting for 108,614 human cases in 2009 compared to 131,468 in 2008. Salmonella also remained the most frequent cause of food-borne outbreaks and was found most frequently in chicken, turkey and pig meat.

Listeria infections in humans increased 19 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, with 1,645 confirmed cases. The report estimates that in 2009 approximately 270 people died in the EU from listeriosis. The most frequent cause of food-borne outbreaks and was found most frequently in ready-to-eat food, such as smoked fish and heat-treated meat products and cheeses.

Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) accounted for 3,573 human disease cases in 2009, marking a slight increase from 2008. VTEC was most often reported in cattle and their meat. The number of human cases of Yersinia enterocolitica, another bacterium mostly found in pigs and their meat, fell in 2009 to 7,595.

There were 5,550 foodborne outbreaks recorded in the EU in 2009, affecting 48,964 people and causing 46 deaths. The most frequently reported causes of foodborne outbreaks were Salmonella (31 percent of all outbreaks), viruses (19 percent) and bacterial toxins (10 percent). The largest sources of outbreaks were eggs and egg products, mixed and buffet meals and pork and derived products.