Record salmonella outbreak in Belgium infects at least 306

A record salmonella outbreak in a ​Belgian chicken farm has infected ​at least 306 people ‌after they ate ​eggs, the food safety agency said on Tuesday. The agency said those who developed symptoms had been contaminated ‌by a strain found at the farm, though many more may have contracted the disease but not been tested as they had shown only mild or no symptoms, ‌said a spokesperson for the agency, known as AFSCA.

"Salmonella is relatively common ‌in Belgium, but we never had such a broad cluster with so many people hit," she said, adding that nobody had died. AFSCA had first identified the contamination in May, issued a recall ⁠and ​closed down a ⁠hen house at a farm in Flanders, Belgium's northern half. As more cases were reported, the ⁠whole farm was closed and the poultry were culled after a second recall on August 10.

The ​company selling the eggs was identified as Laerco BV. It did not ⁠immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. As many as 2 million eggs potentially contaminated ⁠with ​the bacteria were sold in Belgium and neighbouring Luxembourg, where the local health agency also issued a recall.

Some eggs might still be in some ⁠people's kitchens and cause more cases despite the recall, the AFSCA spokesperson said. Cooking the ⁠eggs reduces the ⁠risk of contracting the disease.

Salmonella is a group of rod-shaped bacteria that can cause salmonellosis, a common foodborne illness. Symptoms typically include ‌diarrhea, ‌fever and abdominal cramps.