Filenews 14 February 2022 - by Angelos Nikolaou
Of concern is the proliferation of cases of Salmonella Enteritidis strain linked to egg consumption in EU countries that has cost the lives of two people from eating raw eggs. The European Food Agency is concerned that the source of the contamination may not be only the one originally identified and thus the infection is widely circulated. It warns that the risk from Salmonella Enteritidis strain remains high in EU countries and suggests that measures be taken.
In Cyprus, not only have no cases of foodborne poisoning been recorded by the sub-officer of Salmonella Enteritidis ST11, but our country is not included in the Member States which have moved infected eggs from Spain. Commenting to "F" on the report of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the head of the Health Services, Herodotus Herodotus, underlined that the cases of poisoning concern eggs came from a specific Spanish farm. He added that Cyprus is not involved on the basis of this report. He added, however, that through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Cyprus is informed in a timely manner of any movement of contaminated food.
He explained that eggs at farm level, but also in intra-Community trade, are controlled by the Veterinary Services. He added that the Health Services, as part of an annual programme, take samples from food from various points to examine whether it is unsuitable for human consumption. In this context, he said, eggs contained in prepared foods for salmonella are also being examined. Samples are taken from restaurants and hotels during their preparation. According to Mr. Herodotus, raw eggs contain a membrane that makes it impossible to detect salmonella. For this purpose, he said, raw eggs are checked only in case there is suspicion.
In Europe, at least 272 confirmed cases of Salmonella Enteritidis infections have been recorded between 2 September 2021 and 11 January.
