Joint ECDC-EFSA rapid risk assessment on Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections update, 20 September 2012
ECDC and EFSA have produced a joint risk assessment on a multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Stanley. This is an update of a risk assessment published in July and takes into account the increase in cases and countries affected.
Executive Summary
Upon request from the European Commission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority have jointly provided advice on an on-going outbreak of a rare type of Salmonella.
The Salmonella Stanley infection involving 167 confirmed and 254 probable cases has been reported in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Food and veterinary investigations conducted in these Member States suggest a likely connection to the turkey production chain and the outbreak.
The European agencies were asked to provide this joint advice given the rarity of the Salmonella type but stress the importance of putting this incident into the context of the 100,000 human cases of salmonellosis reported in the EU each year.
Nevertheless, the agencies take the opportunity to highlight the importance for persons working in the food chain at all levels (from production to catering) as well as consumers to be very strict with personal (hand washing) and food hygiene (avoid cross contamination between ready-to-eat and raw meat) particularly when handling raw turkey meat at this time.
