A Canada Salmonella egg outbreak has sickened at least 57 people in two provinces in that country, according to an outbreak investigation notice posted by Public Health Canada. Food recall warnings were issued for eggs sold in those provinces between October and December 2020. All of those eggs are past their use by dates, but more sources could be identified as the investigation processes.
The patient case count by province is: Newfoundland and aerator (25) and Nova Scotia (32). Illness onset dates range from late October 2020 and late January 2021. Nineteen patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick, which is a high percentage for a Salmonella outbreak. The patient age range is between 2 and 98 years of age.
Investigators have found that exposure to eggs is the likely source of this outbreak since many of those sickened said they ate, prepared, and cooked and baked at home with eggs. Some said they ate eggs at nursing homes and hospitals before getting sick.
Eggs are sometimes contaminated with Salmonella bacteria on the shell and inside the egg. That means that all eggs, and dishes made with eggs, should be cooked to 165°F every time, and that temperature should be checked with a food thermometer. After handling raw eggs, it’s important to clean work surfaces and utensils and to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
This is not the first time a Salmonella outbreak has been linked to eggs. In 2018, a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that was linked to recalled Gravel Ridge Farms shell eggs sickened at least 44 people in 11 states. Most of those sickened in that outbreak ate eggs prepared in restaurants.
Symtpoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal and stomach pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody. If you or anyone you know has been experiencing these symptoms, especially if you have eaten eggs recently, see your doctor. You may be part of this Canada Salmonella egg outbreak.
