Newport Salmonella Outbreak – Potential Link to Watermellons

One person has died and at least 50 more have fallen ill from salmonella poisoning which may be linked to watermelons imported from Brazil.
The outbreak, which began in December, is believed to involve packs of ready-to-eat sliced watermelon.

Health chiefs say the public can protect themselves by washing all types of fruit and vegetables.

The one British fatality was suffering from a number of other underlying health problems.
Details of the outbreak – involving the Salmonella Newport form of the bug – were revealed by the Health Protection Agency, which is investigating the source alongside the Food Standards Agency.
It is believed the contaminated watermelon were uncovered during a routine random check for listeria.

Alison Gleadle, Director of Food Safety at the FSA, said: ‘We’ve been notified by the HPA about the outbreak of illness caused by a particular strain of Salmonella Newport. We are monitoring the situation and working closely with the European Commission, other countries, local authorities and the food industry, to investigate further.
‘As soon as we have any significant additional information we will update consumers. In the meantime, it’s important for people to follow sound food hygiene practice when preparing any food. It is always advisable to wash fruits and vegetables before consumption to reduce the risk of possible illness.’

What caused the contamination?

Possible explanations as to how the watermelons could have been contaminated include
• infection from manure used as fertiliser during the growing process
• bacteria passed on to the surface of the fruit when being handled and sliced
• storage or washing in dirty water
• Poor hygiene controls during processing

Salmonella is a common cause of food poisoning. It has been found in food products including unpasteurised milk, eggs, meat, poultry, and fresh produce. It can survive if food isn’t cooked thoroughly. Salmonella can grow unless the food is chilled properly.

People infected with salmonella should be particularly careful with personal hygiene because they could infect anyone who comes into direct contact with them. For example, if someone with salmonella doesn’t wash their hands properly after going to the toilet, they could have bacteria on their hands. The symptoms include: diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain.