By Martin Banks - 20th January 2009
The report shows that many bacteria are still being transmitted from animals to our food
Hubert Deluyker
A new report by the EU’s food safety and disease prevention watchdogs has voiced concern about rising cases of campylobacter, which causes diarrhoea, cramps and fevers.
The annual report was produced by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Speaking at the Brussels launch of the 200-page document on Tuesday, Andrea Ammon, head of surveillance at the ECDC, said the rise in cases of campylobacter gave “cause for concern” but admitted she was “puzzled” as to the reason for the increase.
She said, “Although tackling salmonella and campylobacter infections remains a top priority, we are particularly concerned by the high proportion of deaths among older people as a result of infection with listeria.
“We have also noted a high proportion of newborn babies among the cases of listeria.
“ECDC is working closely with EFSA in a joint effort to find out more about the transmission of listeria infections and what prevention measures can be taken to reduce the number of cases and deaths.”
The disease topped the list of diseases transmitted from animals to humans in the past year.
Some 200,507 cases were reported compared with 175,561 in the previous year, a rise of 14.2 per cent.
The report said there were 151,995 cases of salmonella compared with 164,011 the previous 12 months, the fourth year in a row it has fallen, while cases of listeria remained at the same level.
"The report shows that many bacteria are still being transmitted from animals to our food," said Hubert Deluyker, EFSA's director of scientific cooperation.
"It is good to see that salmonella is on the decline due to the control measures taken along the food chain but campylobacter and listeria in food are still of concern and need to be addressed."
Listeria has a high mortality rate of 20 per cent, particularly among vulnerable groups like the elderly. It is also dangerous to pregnant women as it can cause foetal infections and miscarriages.
In 2007, the commission launched a new control programme against salmonella in breeding poultry flocks and at the end of that year, 15 member states had already met the legal target of 1 per cent.
The report says that three cases of rabies were reported in humans and in each case the infection was acquired outside Europe.
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