So why is there such a huge increase in Salmonella cases this year?
So there has been another well publicized food poisoning. This one has as yet no specific cause but it seems likely that at least 34 of the people who ate the very popular High Tea at the Langham Hotel in Melbourne on 11 and 12 July have ended up with food poisoning and it looks like it is Salmonella, once again. This brings the total number of Salmonella cases in Victoria so far this year to over 3000. This is significantly higher than the same time last year.
Earlier in the year, there were several outbreaks around Brisbane – all of them Salmonella. The same trend of increasing amounts of salmonella cases is also happening in the Sunshine State.
So this increase in Salmonella food poisoning cases appears to be across the country.
So what is happening?
To make it worse, the time of year when the number of cases of Salmonella food poisoning is at it’s highest has not even hit us yet in 2015, so what have we to look forward by the time we get to the end of this year?
So, once again, what is going on?
Only about half of the cases so far this year come from commercial food businesses, so the food industry cannot take the full responsibility. A significant number of the cases to date this year had no identifiable source.
It is important that we all remember that of the estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning each year in this country, at least 3 million of them do not have a source or cause identified.
In this High Tea outbreak, the actual food involved has not yet been determined, but it is, as always, suspected that eggs will be the “culprit”. We can only hope that the source and cause can be identified as we all learn from that knowledge.
Interestingly, the Hotel involved in this outbreak and the Convention Centre with the two outbreaks earlier this year in Brisbane, both
had food safety programs in place and were following the usual expected food safety procedures.
Salmonella does not like cold temperatures and is easily killed by heating, but it is one of the most common pathogens, so is likely to be found in most food businesses.
Microbiologists and health departments across the country are frantically trying to work out what is happening right now that is making this one of the worst years for Salmonella related food poisoning.
Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.