19 May 2009 , Jamie Day, EditorThe European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)’s latest annual report on food-borne illnesses reveals that Salmonella in eggs and egg products was the single largest cause, responsible for 14.6% of verified cases.
EFSA’s Zoonoses Unit is responsible for collating the data on zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and food-borne illnesses across the community, in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The 2007 report, the first under a new recording system, collates information from 22 member states and two non-member countries. Overall, there were 5,609 cases of food-borne disease reported by member states in 2007, of which 36.1% were verified. These cases affected 39,727 people with 3,291 requiring hospital treatment and 19 resulting in deaths. France and Spain reported 73% of the verified outbreaks in the EU. The average reporting rate was 1.13 outbreaks per 100,000 population, and 0.51 per 100,000 for verified outbreaks. The causative agent was identified in 75% of the cases.
Salmonella was the biggest cause of food poisonings, with 2,201 reports of which 590 (26.8%) verified. Of the 8,922 people affected, 1,773 were hospitalized and 10 died.S enteritidis was the most common strain, with eggs and egg products the most common carrier.
Escherichia coli was behind 541 people cases of illness, with 24 cases referred to hospital. Food stuffs were responsible for 83% of the outbreaks, but no distinct food vehicles could be singled out, says the report.Campylobacter affected 244 people with 19 requiring hospital treatment. Chicken meat in particular, but meat in general was the most commonly implicated foodstuff
There were a small number of infections of Yersinia, Listeria, Shigella, Enterobacter and Citrobacter reported. There were no verified cases of Listeria illness in 2007 within the EU, although EFAS was aware of one case in a European country outside the EU. Bacterial toxins produced by Bacillus spp, Clostridium spp. or Staphylococcus spp.were the cause of 427 verified incidences that affected 6,277 people with four fatalities and 345 ending up in hospitalIllnesses caused by food-borne viruses were the second most common known cause in the EU. Calicivirus including norovirus was the most common agent of infection. There were 111 verified virus outbreaks, affecting 3,784 people with 131 hospitalized cases. The majority of the cases were associated with crustaceans, shellfish, molluscs and related products.Finally, parasites were behind 35 reports of food poisoning, most caused by Trichinellalinked to the consumption of pig and wild boar meat.The European Commission’s Consumer Protection Directorate (DG SANCO) has welcomed the integrated EFSA/ECDC monitoring of zoonotic food poisonings. It adds that the apparent rise in Salmonella incident may not be indicative of an increased food safety problem in Europe, but is rather down to the more effective reporting system
