10 January 2024 , 10:17
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The number of Brits hit by a nasty food bug which can be potentially fatal has risen to a record high, NHS data reveals.
Some 1,468 were hospitalised with salmonella last year, figures released on the NHS Digital site disclose. The figure has mounted a new high since recent records began in 2010.
The figure almost doubled last year, soaring from 791 in the year ending March 2022 and 545 the year prior due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The last time hospital admissions were at a similar rate was back in 2019.
The bacterial disease can be picked up from poultry, beef and pork, as well as eggs, dairy and fruit and veg, and causes serious food poisoning resulting in vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydrations and stomach pains. For particularly vulnerable people with compromised immunity, it can be deadly.
The figures came as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently revealed it was investigating a salmonella cases linked to poultry in Poland. Tina Potter, the FSA's head of incidents, said in September: “A number of the cases have involved the consumption of eggs produced in Poland and used in meals in restaurants and cafes.”
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Meanwhile supermarket giant Morrison's urgently recalled its own-brand chorizo the same month after it was found to be contaminated with the bacteria. Once salmonella enters the body, it takes around eight hours before people will see an onset of symptoms.
Babies, toddlers, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions such as heart, lung or kidney diseases are the most vulnerable due to being more prone to dehydration. GP Dr Sarah Jarvis told The Sun: "It can lead to diarrhoea (which may be bloody), painful tummy cramps, and feeling/being sick.
"It can also cause a fever and people with salmonella feel generally unwell." Dr Jarvis added: "It isn’t usually deadly but it can lead to widespread infection in the body, including meningitis," she added.