How To Avoid A Salmonella Outbreak

In most developing countries, salmonella is a major cause of illness and death in children under the age of five, warns Zimbini Mdlulwa, a researcher at the Agricultural Research Council.

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Salmonella can cause a serious and sometimes fatal infection in anyone with a weakened immune system, in young children and in frail or elderly people.

Healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated product.

The illness usually lasts four to seven days, but most people recover without treatment.

While the species of salmonella tend to vary from country to country, Salmonella typhimurium and S. enteritidis are the two most common. In South Africa, Salmonella enterica serovar subspecies enteritidis has become a serious pathogen, with some stakeholders calling for improved molecular surveillance.

Despite global efforts to curb its spread, S. enteritidis infections have persisted, creating an ongoing challenge to the global health system.