Marrakech – Salmonella outbreaks linked to eggs are spreading across Europe, with hundreds of confirmed infections in Belgium and the United Kingdom and additional cases across several other countries.
In Belgium, at least 306 people have fallen ill after eating contaminated eggs, according to the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). Authorities traced the Salmonella Enteritidis strain to Laerco, an egg producer in Geel, in the country’s north.
Regulators described it as the broadest cluster the nation has recorded. “Salmonella is relatively common in Belgium, but we never had such a broad cluster with so many people hit,” an agency spokesperson told Reuters, adding that no deaths had been reported there.
The contamination first surfaced at the end of April. A large-scale recall followed the next month, pulling all eggs from the Geel facility. Officials initially believed the problem was confined to one of the farm’s four henhouses.
When new cases failed to decline, further testing detected the bacteria in a second henhouse. Regulators then halted operations, issued a second recall on August 10, closed the entire farm, and culled the poultry. The strain was traced to dust samples inside the chicken coops.
As many as 2 million potentially contaminated eggs were sold in Belgium and neighboring Luxembourg. The eggs moved through major chains including Colruyt, Delhaize, Aldi, and Carrefour.
Recalls have since reached Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and the Czech Republic, covering producer codes 2-BE-1073-01 through 04 with shelf-life dates through September 4.
Officials cautioned that the official count is likely an underestimate, citing delays in whole-genome sequencing and the fact that many infected people show only mild symptoms or none at all. They also warned that contaminated eggs carry no signs of spoilage in appearance, smell, or taste, and that some may still sit in home kitchens.
A separate outbreak is under investigation in the United Kingdom, where cases have climbed to 474. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had reported 207 infections a week earlier before two new clusters pushed the total higher. Two deaths have been recorded. More than a third of those affected, ranging from babies to a 92-year-old, have required hospital care.
British investigators have connected their outbreak to imported eggs, with most patients falling ill after eating out rather than cooking at home.
“The exact causes of these outbreaks have not yet been identified, but investigations so far have identified links to imported eggs,” Professor Ian Young of the Food Standards Agency told the BBC, adding there is no evidence that UK-produced eggs are affected.
Cases within the wider European picture have also emerged in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, where investigators suspect a link to chicken meat rather than eggs.
Salmonella typically brings on diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, with symptoms appearing 12 to 72 hours after infection. Older adults, infants, and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk. Cooking eggs thoroughly reduces the danger.
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