Salmonella outbreak: Hospitalisations triple since July, with 60 extra infections in just over a week...imported eggs are to blame

An ongoing salmonella outbreak linked to imported eggs has grown by 10 per cent in the last fortnight - with 60 new cases announced by health chiefs. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has now confirmed 650 cases of the life-threatening bacterial infection – up from 586 reported in September. So far, two people have died and the number requiring hospital treatment continues to climb. The UKHSA confirmed 99 people have now been hospitalised - including 20 since September 15.This is a jump from just 31 hospitalisations when the outbreak was first announced by officials in July. While salmonella usually causes a mild digestive illness, it can lead to life-threatening complications including severe dehydration, blood poisoning and organ failure. The figures also reveal stark regional differences, with the North East seeing infection rates more than double those in the South. Imported eggs served in restaurants and cafes are suspected as a major source of the outbreak in BritainThe infections are said to be associated with eating out at 'small cafes, restaurants and takeaway businesses', according to the UKHSA. The total number of cases in the outbreak is spread across separate infection 'clusters'. Some 413 infections have been linked to the main strain, and one person has died. Another death has been recorded in a cluster with 43 cases, with the remaining 194 cases – up from 189 – linked to a third strain. Officials say the regional differences are likely to reflect a combination of demographics, antibiotic use, and healthcare exposure. Regions with older residents and greater contact with healthcare services are more likely to detect and report infections. Areas with higher rates of antibiotic use may also be more vulnerable to salmonella because antibiotics can kill off beneficial gut bacteria, making it easier for the infection to take hold. The North East, for example, has long recorded some of the highest antibiotic prescribing rates in the country.London also continues to see higher infection rates, driven in part by its dense population and large numbers of people eating out.By contrast, much of the South is reporting significantly lower infection rates. Experts told the Daily Mail last month that the true rate of infection is likely significantly higher than officially reported. Professor Paul Wigley, from the University of Bristol, said: 'I wouldn't be surprised if it's up around the 2,000 mark.'In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if it's much higher than that. But around 1,500 to 2,000 cases is what I would be expecting.'It is understood health chiefs are aware the true number of infections is likely to exceed the confirmed total. Salmonella is typically caught by eating contaminated food such as poultry, meat, eggs, raw fruit and vegetables and unpasteurised dairy products. It usually causes symptoms such as a fever and vomiting which clear in a few days. In rare cases, it can be fatal, with infants, pregnant women, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems most at risk. One of the greatest dangers once salmonella reaches the bloodstream is sepsis – when the body's response to infection begins damaging its own tissues and organs. Warning signs include confusion, extreme shivering, severe breathlessness, passing little or no urine and mottled or bluish skin. An overwhelming sense of 'impending doom' can also be a red flag.Nearly half (45 per cent) of patients infected with the outbreak's main strain – including babies and others as old as 92 – required hospital treatment.However, health officials maintain that the risk to the general public from salmonella remains low and there is no evidence that eggs produced in the UK pose any threat. Commercial hens which produce eggs sold in UK supermarkets are vaccinated against the most common strains of salmonella, making any outbreak unlikely to start in Britain.Salmonella cases have been on the rise in the UK. Last year, there were 10,406 recorded cases – a decade high.