Safety alert over CHICKEN meat as officials hunt mystery source of killer salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens of Brits

Chicken meat and kebabs could be the source of a salmonella outbreak which has struck dozens of Brits, officials say.

At least 335 people across Europe — including 110 in the UK — have been sickened under the same outbreak. One has died.

Health chiefs are now urgently hunting for the source, warning that more cases will likely happen until it is found.

The majority of cases, which have affected all age groups, can be linked to chicken meat, including kebabs. 

Salmonella usually causes a fever, sickness and diarrhoea which clears up in days — but it can be fatal. 

At least 335 people across Europe — including 110 in the UK — have been sickened under the same outbreak. One has died. Health chiefs are now urgently hunting for the source, warning that more cases will likely happen until it is found. The majority of cases, which have affected all age groups, can be linked to chicken meat, including kebabs

Salmonella are a group of bacteria that infect the gut. It is often triggered by contaminated food or water. Symptoms of infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever. On average, it takes from 12 to 72 hours for the symptoms to develop after swallowing an infectious dose of salmonella. Pictured, a culture of salmonella bacteria 

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control jointly issued the alert with the European Food Safety Authority. 

Every case in the outbreak, which has hit 16 nations, has occurred since the start of 2023. 

One particular strain, a salmonella enteritidis subtype, is to blame for the outbreak, which is split into three distinct clusters.

Officials routinely investigate outbreaks in order to control them.

The three clusters comprised 66, 192, and 77 cases respectively, with 14, 83 and 13 logged in the UK. 

Of the 335 cases, nine across three countries were hospitalised, while one fatality — who had eaten a chicken kebab in a restaurant — was logged in Austria.

One case was detected in the US, during the second cluster, among someone who had travelled to Spain and reportedly eaten chicken during their stay. 

The EFSA said: ‘Scientists expect new cases are likely to occur in this multi-country outbreak as the source has not yet been identified. 

‘EFSA and ECDC experts recommend further investigations to identify the potential locations within the chicken meat production chain where the contamination may have occurred.’

Salmonella — a family of bacteria — live in the gut of farm animals and birds. It can, therefore, be found in meat, eggs and poultry.

Symptoms usually include diarrhoea and stomach cramps and can be accompanied by vomiting and fever. 

Illness usually fades after three days and most people recover without treatment.

Blood poisoning, abscesses and joint pains are rare complications, according to the NHS.