Norway: Alfalfa sprouts suspected as source of infection in national outbreak of Salmonella
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) is investigating a national outbreak caused by the gastrointestinal bacterium Salmonella Newport. So far, infection has been detected in 23 people living in several counties. Organic alfalfa sprouts are suspected as the source of the outbreak. Consumers are advised to discard the products.
FHI is investigating the outbreak in collaboration with relevant municipal chief medical officers, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Veterinary Institute and the microbiological laboratories.
The infected persons have been ill since mid-October. They are aged 18-79, the median age is 48 and 16 of them are women. 8 of the infected have been admitted to hospital. Bacteria with the same genetic profile have been detected in all those infected. This suggests a common source of infection.
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The persons live in Vestland (4), Trøndelag (4), Rogaland (3), Møre og Romsdal (3), Innlandet (2), Østfold (2), Akershus (2), Telemark (2) and Oslo (1) .
Typical symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain, nausea and possibly fever. The infection usually resolves on its own without treatment. Salmonella bacteria are mainly transmitted through food.
“Several of the infected persons in the outbreak report having eaten sprouts. FHI has also seen earlier this year an increase in cases of salmonella infection where sprouts have been suspected as the cause of the disease. We have therefore examined sprouts in detail in collaboration with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority”, says acting section leader Umaer Naseer for infection prevention and preparedness at FHI.
Consumers are advised to throw away sprouts bought in the last 3 weeks. This also applies to mixed products where alfalfa sprouts are an ingredient, e.g. sandwiches, baguettes, salads, wraps and the like.