Salmonella cases fall for fifth year

EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have published their annual report on zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks in the EU for 2009. The report shows Salmonella cases in humans fell by 17% in 2009, marking a decrease for the fifth consecutive year. The report also shows that between 2008 and 2009 the number of laying hen flocks infected with Salmonella fell by 9%.
Campylobacteriosis remained the most reported zoonotic disease in humans, showing a slight increase with 198,252 cases in 2009 compared to 190,566 in 2008 (+4%). In foodstuffs, Campylobacter, was mostly found in raw poultry meat; and in live animals, it was found in poultry, pigs and cattle.
“The fall in Salmonella cases in humans is a great achievement and indicates that the control measures put in place by EU Member States and the European Commission are working,” says Hubert Deluyker, EFSA’s director of scientific cooperation and assistance. “EFSA, in cooperation with its partners, will continue to support all efforts to reduce all zoonotic diseases across the EU.”