Salmonella outbreak: Contaminated salmon products and symptoms Since the beginning of August 2012, a sharp increase in the number of cases of illness has been noted in the Netherlands. The cases of illness turned out to be caused by Salmonella Thompson. In September 2012 it was announced that a sharp increase in patients with Salmonella poisoning was due to smoked salmon products. It turned out to be smoked salmon products that were contaminated with Salmonella. On October 19, 2012, there were 950 registered cases of people who became ill from eating contaminated salmon and it was announced that at least 3 people had died as a result of the salmonella contamination. However, the number of people who have become ill by eating contaminated salmon is probably many times greater. Not all patients went to their GP with the complaints they had observed. As a result, these cases have not been officially identified and recorded.

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella contamination is still the most common cause of food poisoning. Salmonella is an intestinal bacterium that occurs in almost all domestic and wild animals. With regard to food products that are commonly eaten in the Netherlands, Salmonella can occur in chicken, veal and pork, fish products, raw eggs, certain dairy products and various types of fruit and vegetables. Salmonella bacteria can be transmitted to humans by consuming contaminated products.

Symptoms and complications of Salmonella poisoning

There are many symptoms that can indicate a Salmonella infection. However, many of these symptoms are so general that they can also indicate other conditions. A Salmonella infection is therefore often confused with a stomach flu infection. This is also the reason that many people suffering from Salmonella infection do not consult a doctor. The symptoms of Salmonella infection generally occur within 12 to 36 hours after eating the contaminated food. If complaints persist for a long time or worsen, it is urgently recommended to consult a doctor.

Some symptoms that occur with Salmonella poisoning are:

• abdominal cramps,
• diarrhea,
• fever,
• nausea
• severe headache.

The symptoms that occur with Salmonella infection often occur for 1 to 2 days. In addition to the above symptoms, it is possible that arthritic symptoms may occur after a Salmonella infection. These arthritic symptoms (joint pain) can last 3 to 4 weeks.

Complications

In some cases, Salmonella poisoning can lead to very serious complications. The elderly, young children and people with reduced resistance are particularly at risk of complications after Salmonella poisoning. These complications vary widely from mild to very serious and can be life-threatening in certain cases.The complications that can occur are:

• Dehydration
• Shock
• Blood poisoning
• Heart problems
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Bone infections
• Joint inflammation
• Pain during/after urination

National Salmonella outbreak due to contaminated smoked salmon

Since July 2012, a sharp increase has been noted in the Netherlands in patients who had become infected with the Salmonella bacterium Thompson. In September 2012 it was announced that the sharp increase was caused by contaminated smoked salmon produced by fish manufacturer Foppen. Fish manufacturer Foppen supplies salmon products to almost all Dutch supermarkets. On the instructions of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), fish manufacturer Foppen has decided to hold a so-called recall. It has also been decided to remove all salmon products that have been processed by the fish manufacturer from Harderwijk from the Dutch shelves. In addition to supermarkets, various wholesalers who received salmon products from fish manufacturer Foppen have also been informed about the need to remove smoked salmon from the market.

List of contaminated salmon products

Money back promotion

If you have any salmon products that appear in the list above, you are strongly advised to throw these products away. You can receive reimbursement for the products by cutting out the product code on the packaging and sending it to:

• Fop Eel and Salmon,
• PO Box 303,
• 3840 AH Harderwijk

stating:

• name,
• residence,
• Bank account number
• name of the store chain where the product was purchased.

The postage costs incurred will also be transferred.

Research

Investigations into the cause of the Salmonella outbreak are still in progress. New information about Salmonella contamination at fish manufacturer Foppen is released every day. This may reveal that even more products should not be consumed. Therefore, consult the media daily or consider temporarily no longer consuming salmon products.