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Campylobacter cause of most foodborne infections in Denmark

Posted: 3 October 2018 | | No comments yet

Campylobacter continues to be the cause of most of the registered foodborne infections in Denmark in 2017

 

Findings from an annual report on the incidence of foodborne diseases in Denmark reveals that campylobacter continues to be the cause of most of the registered foodborne infections in Denmark in 2017, with 4,257 cases of illness. Two outbreaks of campylobacter were related to consumption of unpasteurised milk. 

The report is prepared by the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, working with Statens Serum Institut – the national institute of public health – and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.

In May 2018, the Danish authorities launched a new action plan for 2018-2021 aimed at reducing the number of campylobacter infections. The overall goal is to reduce the number of registered human infections by 5 per cent a year until 2021. The plan is based on analysis, studies and advice from the National Food Institute and Statens Serum Institut.

The the number of Danes who fell ill with a salmonella infection in 2017 – a total of 1,067 – is in line with figures from recent years. The number of salmonella infections has remained stable over the past seven years. Approximately half of the salmonella infections in 2017 were associated with travel abroad. People most often brought the infections back from trips to Thailand or Turkey

 Danish pork was the registered source in 8.2 per cent of the infections, followed by imported pork and chicken meat (6.9 per cent  and 3.5 per cent respectively). In 2017, there were infections attributed to  Danish chicken meat.

”We are pleased that once again we see no registered cases of illness related to Danish chicken meat. In fact, salmonella has not been detected in Danish chicken meat in five out of the last seven years,” said Senior Scientific Officer Birgitte Helwigh from the National Food Institute.

 

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