Holidays are still the largest source of salmonella infections in Denmark. Almost every second registered salmonella infection case in Denmark in 2014 was obtained from abroad, according to a new report from the national food institute DTU Fødevareinstituttet.
The report, which is a joint effort together with the State Serum Institute and the food authority Fødevarestyrelsen, showed there were 1,122 salmonella infection cases in Denmark last year – 48 percent of which were obtained while on a visit abroad.
Nearly half of those returning home to Denmark with a salmonella infection had been to one of three countries: Thailand (17.5 percent), Turkey (15.4 percent) and Spain (6.4 percent).
The report (here in English) also revealed that some salmonella infections [2 percent of the total] in Denmark had been attributed to Danish poultry for the first time since 2011.
“For two decades, Danish producers, authorities and researchers have successfully worked hard to make fresh chicken salmonella-free. It is against the law to sell fresh meat from Danish chickens if the flock is positive for salmonella,” said Birgitte Helwigh, a senior academic officer at DTU Fødevareinstituttet.
“There will always be a small risk that fresh meat containing salmonella could make its way under the surveillance radar and end up in the stores. This is why it is important to continue with the close monitoring.”
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The first cases of Danish eggs infected by salmonella in five years were also registered last year. But pork still leads the way. Danish pork is the source connected to infecting most people in Denmark at 15 percent.
About one fifth of all salmonella cases in Denmark couldn’t be attributed to a specific food product source.
