Salmonella outbreak in 16 European countries linked to cherry tomatoes – The situation in Greece?

The rising incidence of salmonella cases in several European countries has caused concern, with authorities attributing the source of the contamination to cherry tomatoes from Sicily.

Health authorities in Europe are on high alert following the massive outbreak of salmonella cases linked to tomato consumption in 16 European countries.

According to yesterday's report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 232 confirmed cases of infection with the Salmonella Strathcona strain have been recorded from the beginning of the year to November 5, while surveillance is ongoing.

The countries with detected cases: Austria (33), Croatia (3), Czechia (10), Denmark (9), Estonia (1), Germany (62), Finland (3), France (23), Ireland (1), Italy (67), Luxembourg (2), Netherlands (2), Norway (3), Slovakia (5), Slovenia (2) and Sweden (6), and the UK (29).

Greece is not an affected country.

It is noted that most cases with a history of travel concern visits to Italy.

Tomatoes were the culprit food in these infections, and molecular analyses indicate that the bacterium has a common origin. It has been confirmed that the outbreaks are linked to the consumption of small tomatoes from Sicily.

In the same report, the ECDC states that women appear to be more vulnerable than men to the current epidemic. Of the patients surveyed, 71.1% reported consumption of tomatoes, mainly cherry tomatoes.

ECDC experts call on the countries' health authorities to continue thorough checks, as cherry tomatoes remain a possible source of infection.

They advise consumers to follow good hygiene practices, such as washing hands and vegetables well to avoid cross-contamination.

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