On the 21st March 2019 news of a salmonella outbreak in the South East of Australia was made public. Eggs originating from a farm in Victoria are thought to be the source of multiple cases of illness caused by salmonella. The farm has been quarantined and eggs originating from there have been recalled.
Salmonella is a type of bacteria which has a large number of strains (sub-types). The strain causing most of the cases of current illness is Salmonella Enteriditis. If you have the illness the symptoms are similar to gastroenteritis but can be worse. The symptoms are likely to include fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
The NSW Health website has a list of affected egg products and this can be found at this link:
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/enteritidis-eggs-2018.aspx#
If you have any eggs at home they should be checked for the brand, date and stamp. If you have eggs that match any of those in the list (see link above) they should be disposed of or returned to the place of purchase for a refund.
According to the Food Safety Information Council there are 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year. Some of these cases could have been avoided through simple measures such as thorough cooking, good hand washing and keeping raw meat and fish separate from other food in the fridge. In the case of eggs, which are the source of the current outbreak, poached eggs, mayonnaise and aioli contain egg which isn’t fully cooked and are therefore higher risk items for causing illness.
If you are concerned you might have food poisoning caused by salmonella or any other cause you should seek medical attention from your family doctor.
Medical News Australia 