Saturday 4 February 2012


One person died and 34 others are still lying sick from salmonella bacteria in the UK on imported watermelon. The number of victims continues to grow even to this day.

This outbreaks caused by Salmonella Newport is expressed by UK Health Protection Agency (HPA). Together with Food Standards Agency (FSA) are both investigating the source of the outbreak that occurred throughout the UK and has even reached Germany.

The presence of Salmonella Newport was first identified by scientists from the HPA. Through several tests conducted from a number of suspected food samples. And finally Salmonella Newport was found in these samples of watermelon .

As quoted from dailymail.co.uk, HPA teams said: "Salmonella Newport infection cause pain similar to other form of salmonella infection and symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever."

The victims, ranged in age from 6 months to 85 years, have fallen ill since December. Seventy percent of them were women. And recently, the number of cases occurre three times higher than the previous two months. Even it has been reported that a patient had died, although the death was also triggered by other health complications he had.

Dr Bob adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA, said that although it is too early to mention what caused the infection. But early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon. A similar information is obtained in several cases that occurred in Scotland and Germany.

Current outbreak of watermelon-Salmonella Newport case occurred in England (26 people), Wales (3 people), Northern Ireland (1 person), Scotland (5 people), the Republic of Ireland (5 persons), and Germany (15 people). Salmonella Newport Outbreak also have occurred in UK  in the previous 2004. Although that time, the suspect was salad.

Until now, cases are still under investigation and the HPA to remind the public to wash fruits and vegetables throughly before eating them.

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