The INFOSAN Secretariat has been following the development of a multi-country outbreak (n=247) of Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 linked to chicken products from Ukraine. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the latest numbers available of the cases reported are Czech Republic (n=5), Estonia (n=3), Finland (n=89), France (n=10), Germany (n=2), Ireland (n=1), Israel (n=4), the Netherlands (n=1), and the United Kingdom (n=132). The latest cases have been detected as of March 2023 in the United Kingdom which have been linked through whole genome sequencing.
Information shared through the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), implicated products linked to the outbreak has been distributed to nine countries. The INFOSAN Secretariat has promptly engaged WHO Member States outside of the RASFF to inform them of such distribution, seek additional information concerning the international distribution of implicated products and request information on any possible cases linked to the consumption of the implicated products.
Through close collaboration with the INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point and the National Focal Point for IHR in Ukraine, the INFOSAN Secretariat has been notified that no further international distribution from Ukraine to other WHO Member States, beyond those already notified by the RASFF, has been identified to date. Ukrainian authorities initiated an investigation and informed the Network of the risk management measures implemented at the facilities of the implicated manufacturer.
The INFOSAN Secretariat continues to support WHO Member States to facilitate the exchange of information in order to facilitate investigations and implementation of additional risk management measures. Further details will be shared through the Network when available.
About the hazard: Salmonella is 1 of the 4 key global causes of diarrheal diseases. Salmonella is a ubiquitous and hardy bacteria that can survive several weeks in a dry environment and several months in water.
About the disease: Salmonellosis is a disease caused by the bacteria Salmonella. It is usually characterized by acute onset of fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and sometimes vomiting. The onset of disease symptoms occurs 6–72 hours (usually 12–36 hours) after ingestion of Salmonella, and illness lasts 2–7 days. For more information, please visit the WHO’s website about Salmonella (non-typhoidal) here.
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