Salmonella outbreak sickens 133 in Czech Republic
The majority of illnesses were reported from 24 to 28 July in the Pilsen region of the country.
A total of 71 people were hospitalised but all have now recovered.
The infection was traced to eggs in spaghetti carbonara, which was produced and distributed in the Pilsen region by Zrtas Company.
Svatopluk Nemecek, health minister, said the public health authorities, particularly those in the regional hygiene station in the Pilsen region, were quick to reveal the cause and take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the outbreak and potentially ‘dozens or hundreds’ more illnesses.
Salmonella source from eggs
Dana Salamunova, deputy spokesperson in the press department of the Ministry of Health, said 119 people went to the doctor after falling ill.
“Most cases were during the Friday to the Tuesday after Zrtas distributed product to restaurants and diners," she told FoodQualityNews.
“The Salmonella was in the eggs used for the meal, the raw eggs in the spaghetti.
“Zrtas was closed but it is now re-opened, hygiene specialists made sure everything was correct and it reopened last week.
“We gave orders to make sure of sanitation, and like for any company after an incident such as this, after a month or more often the hygienists go back to make sure there are no problems.
“It is in their own interest to ensure hygiene as they must regain the confidence of the consumer after an incident like this.”
Previous outbreak
A similar case of Salmonella occurred in September last year in the Zlin region, where after eating a type of pudding with apricots, an outbreak affected 99 children and staff from nursery and primary schools.
Follow up investigation results showed failure in the preparation of the dish and problems in personal hygiene.
Salmonellosis recorded in 2014 was mainly caused by eating undercooked or improperly cooked food and a lack of basic hygienic habits and actions when preparing and handling food.
