European food safety experts warned Thursday that roughly 20 percent of large-scale laying hen farms across the European Union test positive for salmonella, a bacterium that can trigger serious digestive illness.
The European Food Safety Authority, headquartered in Parma, Italy, examined nearly 5,000 poultry operations from October 2004 through September 2005. A preliminary report was released ahead of a full publication expected in October.
The Czech Republic recorded the highest infection rate at 62.5 percent of flocks, followed by Poland at 55.9 percent and Spain at 51.6 percent. Finland performed best, with only 0.4 percent of flocks affected, while Denmark (1.2 percent), the Netherlands (7.9 percent), Britain, France, and Italy all came in below 10 percent.
Eggs are regarded as the primary vehicle of salmonella transmission to humans across Europe and much of the world. Studies indicate that fewer than 3 percent of eggs laid by infected hens are themselves contaminated.
Consuming raw or undercooked infected eggs can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea, and may prove fatal for elderly people, the seriously ill, and very young children if medical care is not provided quickly.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.