151 SALMONELLA CASES HAVE BEEN LINKED TO KINDER CHOCOLATES: WHO

Thu 28 April 2022:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 151 cases of salmonella have been related to the consumption of Kinder chocolate products in at least 11 countries.

During inspections at the Kinder factory in Arlon, Belgium in December 2021 and January this year, bacteria with the same genetic structure as salmonella, which infects humans, were discovered in several tankers containing raw materials, according to the organization.

The factory took the appropriate hygienic steps, the salmonella test on the products came back negative, and the Kinder products made in Arlon were sold throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

As of April 25, 151 salmonella cases suspected to be linked to Kinder products were detected worldwide, with 65 of these in England, 26 in Belgium, 25 in France, 10 in Germany, 15 in Ireland, four in Sweden and two in the Netherlands.

One case each was reported in Luxembourg, Norway, Spain and the US.

It was shown that 89 percent of the instances involved children under the age of ten, with severe symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, and bloody diarrhea seen in 21 of them.

Salmonella infection did not result in any deaths, according to the report.

So what is this disease and how is it transmitted?

Salmonellosis is a disease caused by Salmonella, a non-typhoidal bacteria. Named after the American veterinarian who helped discover the bacteria, Daniel Elmer Salmon, salmonella often causes mild illness but can be life-threatening in extreme cases.

According to WHO, approximately 2,500 serotypes have been identified, out of which a majority of the human infections are triggered by Typhimurium and Enteritidis serotypes

Transmission

It is most often transmitted to humans who eat food contaminated with the faeces of an infected animal, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

This often happens when people consume raw or undercooked food like meat and eggs, or when people handling food fail to wash their hands.

Less often, unwashed fruits and vegetables can become infected.

Whether or not a person contracts salmonellosis, the infection caused by salmonella, depends on the type of bacteria and the quantity consumed.

While an estimated 94 per cent of salmonellosis is transmitted by food, contact with chicks and pet turtles can be a source of infection, the CDC said.

If contaminated foods are distributed widely across borders, they can infect vast numbers of people.

Around 224,000 people were made sick by infected ice cream in the United States in 1994.

A decade earlier in France, at least 25,000 were infected by a food source that was never identified, according to the Pasteur Institute.

Symptoms

Symptoms usually show up around three days after infection and often include diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps.

A healthy adult normally recovers within a few days but in some cases, an infection can be dangerous or even fatal.

Babies, young children, the elderly, pregnant women or immunocompromised people are the most at risk.

People with severe diarrhoea may need rehydration, the CDC said.

“Antibiotics are not recommended for uncomplicated cases and are only used if the infection spreads or is highly likely to spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and other organs,” it added.

More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.

How to avoid it?

To avoid salmonella, everyone should wash their hands before cooking, keep raw foods separated from others, and regularly clean areas where food is handled.

Thoroughly cooking meat is also highly recommended.

Avoiding eating raw eggs, in foods such as cookie dough and homemade ice cream, is also recommended, according to the Mayo Clinic in the United States.

Washing hands after using the toilet or changing a baby will also help limit transmission.

Most industries have strict rules in place to avoid contamination.

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