a day ago
Alert over bacteria outbreak that's left 500 sick and 14 hospitalised from eating tomatoes
AT least 500 people have fallen ill after eating tomatoes found to contain salmonella.
Some 14 required hospital admission, including eight adults and six children, following a meal in Barbastro, Spain.
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Most patients, who were attending Somontano Wine Festival earlier this month, have been discharged, but three continue to receive treatment, Food Safety News reports.
They are said to be suffering with symptoms compatible with gastroenteritis - an infection that causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
This can trigger sudden diarrhoea, projectile vomiting, nausea, cramps, a fever, a loss of appetite, dehydration, aching limbs and headaches, according to the NHS.
Symptoms usually appear up to a day after becoming infected and last less than a week.
Officials say around 500 people are known to have experienced mild to moderate side effects from August 4.
"But this is just an estimate," Nuria Gayán Margelí, general directorate of public health for the Government of Aragon, said.
"There will be people who are affected and have not sought medical attention, and others who have been treated for similar, unrelated symptoms."
Food samples were tested following the outbreak to identify the cause.
Salmonella was found in toasted bread with crushed tomatoes "that were used as the base for several tapas".
It was not detected in any other dishes, including sausages, tortillas, potatoes, minced meat, béchamel sauce, cheesecake or roasted vegetables.
What is salmonella, what are the symptoms and treatment?
But some kitchen tools, including blender blades and brushes used to spread the tomato on bread, tested positive for the bacteria - as did stool samples from those who fell ill.
A deep clean of the outlet and all equipment was carried out, and no worker can return until given the all-clear.
All remaining tomatoes were disposed of.
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Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause food poisoning, sometimes called salmonellosis.
It lives in the guts of animals and humans and spreads through contaminated poo.
Food can become tainted if it's grown in dirty water, handled with dirty hands, or touches surfaces exposed to animal waste.
This contamination can occur at any stage, from farm to fork, including irrigation with contaminated water, poor hygiene during harvesting, or cross-contamination during packaging.
That's how fresh produce like tomatoes, especially when eaten raw, can end up crawling with the bug.
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Salmonella is also commonly found in raw eggs, undercooked chicken and unwashed salad leaves.
It can affect anyone, but young children, people over the age of 65 and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill, according to the Food Standards Agency.
The most common symptoms are:
Diarrhoea
Stomach pain
Fever
Headache
Nausea
Vomiting
General tiredness
These can last up to seven days, but a small number of people take weeks to fully recover, the NHS says.
Rare complications include blood poisoning, abscesses and joint pain.
Reactive arthritis can also occur, which can last for years and be difficult to treat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Patients with a salmonella infection should drink plenty of water and contact their GP if symptoms are severe or they persist.
The NHS adds: "In most cases, it is generally advised to wait until 48 hours after having diarrhoea or sickness before returning to work, school or nursery."
Salmonella is not usually fatal.
The UK recorded 57 deaths due to the infection in 2017 and 2018, according to data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In 2019, there were 8,398 cases, down from 8,838 the year before.
But they shot to 10-year high in 2024, soaring by almost a fifth in a single year to more than 10,000.
