Health warning as Salmonella cases linked to cheese rise
Salmonella and Campylobacter cases have soared according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
These infections are usually caught by eating contaminated food such as poultry, meat, eggs, raw fruit and vegetables, as well as unpasteurised milk or cheese.
People can die from them via dehydration or if the bacteria enters the bloodstream, which can lead to sepsis — a life-threatening reaction.
In response to the surge in cases, the health officials have reminded businesses and households of important food safety measures.
Dr Gauri Godbole, Deputy Director, Gastrointestinal infections at UKHSA says: "Our extensive surveillance is showing high levels of gastrointestinal infections in England. We continue to work closely with partners to detect, investigate and halt the spread of infections.
"These infections spread in many ways, including through contaminated food or water, contact with an infected person as well as contact with an infected animal or their environment. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, particularly after using the toilet or handling raw meat, before meals and after contact with animals or farms can prevent infections.
Planning a BBQ this weekend?
Food poisoning can easily become an unwelcome guest.
Follow good food hygiene practices, such as washing your hands, cooking meat properly, and avoiding cross-contamination.
More info on food poisoning: https://t.co/B4Dzeh7FRm — NHS (@NHSuk) June 20, 2025
"Additionally, anyone experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting should avoid handling or preparing food for others. Do not return to work, and children should not attend school or nursery, until at least 48 hours after symptoms have subsided."
Young children, elderly adults and those with weakened immune systems should take extra care as they are at higher risk of developing severe illness.
The new data says Campylobacter cases have increased by 17.1% from 60,055 in 2023 to 70,352 in 2024, reaching 121.9 reports per 100,000 population. This represents the highest number of cases recorded in the past decade. Adults aged 50 to 79 years account for 44% of all reports.
Similarly, Salmonella infections reached a decade high, with a 17.1% increase from 2023, rising from 8,872 cases in 2023 to 10,388 cases in 2024. Children under 10 years old were particularly affected, accounting for 21.5% of cases.
UKHSA and Food Standard Agency (FSA) experts are investigating further with partner agencies to understand the reasons behind this increase in Salmonella and Campylobacter cases.
Cases of the parasite Cryptosporidium decreased by 16.4% compared to 2023, with 5,708 cases reported in 2024, although this was the second highest number of cases reported in the past decade. The number of infections in April 2024 were unusually high, associated with large outbreaks linked to lambing events and petting farm venues, and an outbreak in South Devon associated with mains water.
The 2023 data for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) shows a slight decrease of 2.2% compared to 2022 overall.
How do I know if I have food poisoning?
All these gastrointestinal infections can cause similar symptoms, including diarrhoea (sometimes bloody), stomach pains and cramps, vomiting and mild fever.
While most people recover within one to two weeks of infection, young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems face higher risks of developing serious illness or complications. In severe cases, STEC can cause haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a serious and potentially life-threatening condition primarily affecting the kidneys.
Dr James Cooper, Deputy Director of Food Policy at the FSA, says: "Public safety is our highest priority. The FSA works closely with UKHSA and other partners to monitor and assess the latest foodborne disease data. We are working together to understand the reasons behind the rise in Campylobacter and Salmonella cases, as well as trends in other pathogens. This analysis will help us take the necessary action to protect public health.
"We've launched a new campaign to help people stay safe - find out more on food.gov.uk. We're also working with industry and local authorities to support businesses to meet their legal responsibility to make sure food is safe. Consumers can further protect themselves by checking Food Hygiene Ratings on food.gov.uk."
When preparing food at home, people can reduce their risk of food poisoning by following good hygiene practices and by following advice on the 4Cs of food hygiene: chilling, cleaning, cooking, and avoiding cross-contamination.
Recommended reading:
How can I avoid food poisoning?
The FSA has put out this advice.
Following good food hygiene and the 4Cs when preparing food can help protect you and others from food poisoning:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
NHS trains midwives in trans breastfeeding workshops
NHS midwives have been trained by a trans workshop that promotes male breastfeeding, The Telegraph can reveal. The Queer Birth Club runs 'LGBTQ+' competency and lactation classes, using the tag line 'birthing people ain't all women'. The group has provided training sessions for NHS England and a number of trusts across the UK, and its founder has given talks at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). One nurse who raised concerns about the training is now facing disciplinary action. The NHS worker told The Telegraph: 'The content of these sessions undermines established clinical standards and introduces extreme ideological beliefs that have no place in healthcare settings.' Campaigners last night called for the NHS to carry out an immediate review to ensure that 'training and care provision is urgently grounded in biological reality'. The Queer Birth Club has said that it has also provided training in universities and its courses are embedded in some midwifery and doula training programs. It promotes breastfeeding by trans women and claims that it is 'transmisogyny' to say that the milk produced by biological men is 'less'. This is despite concerns over the safety of the milk, which is produced after taking a series of medications to induce lactation. Domperidone, the drug commonly used to stimulate lactation, was not intended for this purpose, but is prescribed off-label by doctors. Janssen, which manufactures the drug, has recommended against it because of possible side effects to a baby's heart. Concerns have also been raised about the impact testosterone could have on babies who are being naturally breastfed by trans men. The Queer Birth Club say that their 'lactation competency' training, which they advertise with a cartoon of a person breastfeeding with the message 'trans joy' covers 'inducing lactation, feeding after top surgery, co-nursing'. Another of their posts on social media shows a drawing of a person with a beard and a pregnancy bump with the slogan: 'Boys have babies too.' The club has previously provided 'cultural awareness' training for midwives through NHS England and courses for a number of NHS trusts across the UK. It is listed as a recommended resource on several NHS websites. AJ Silver, the founder of The Queer Birth Club who identifies as non-binary, has also appeared as a speaker at conferences led by the Royal College of Midwives and says they have trained more than '600 birth professionals'. In a speaker profile for an event at the RCM in Wales, it says the organisation 'has worked with organisations such as NHS England, Birthrights, Make Birth Better, The Positive Birth Company, NCT as well as universities, collectives and health trusts across the UK and Ireland'. Those who have attended the courses are invited to join a 'closed' Facebook group of '500+ like-minded professionals' where they can 'build valuable networks and enhance their understanding of LGBTQ+ competency'. The nurse, who has faced investigation and disciplinary action after saying that the course did not align with her Christian views, questioned whether the content of the courses aligned with the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. She said: 'Student midwives are being taught and influenced to implement this ideology once they begin working on the NHS front line, which cannot be right, especially following the clarity of the Supreme Court ruling. 'I believe there are serious patient safety implications that warrant investigation. I am deeply concerned that this teaching on pregnancy attempts to downplay and discredit well-established clinical risks, potentially endangering the wellbeing of pregnant women, especially younger mothers. 'The activist network at the heart of this club must be open and transparent and no longer allowed to undermine the law, biological reality and basic standards in NHS services.' Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'The Supreme Court's ruling in the For Women Scotland case has made it clear that biological sex matters in law. 'These workshops risk undermining evidence-based maternity care and compromise the privacy, dignity and safety of both patients and staff. The NHS has a duty to uphold the law and to protect women, not to promote contested and harmful ideologies under the guise of inclusion. 'An immediate review of these programmes must be accelerated, and NHS leadership must ensure that all training and care provision is urgently grounded in biological reality and integrity.' An NHS spokesman said: 'NHS training should always be produced in line with the best clinical evidence.'
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Hundreds of NHS quangos to be axed - as plans unveiled for health funding to be linked to patient feedback
NHS funding could be linked to patient feedback under new plans, with poorly performing services that "don't listen" penalised with less money. As part of the "10 Year Health Plan" to be unveiled next week, a new scheme will be trialled that will see patients asked to rate the service they received - and if they feel it should get a funding boost or not. It will be introduced first for services that have a track record of very poor performance and where there is evidence of patients "not being listened to", the government said. This will create a "powerful incentive for services to listen to feedback and improve patients' experience", it added. Sky News understands that it will not mean bonuses or pay increases for the best performing staff. NHS payment mechanisms will also be reformed to reward services that keep patients out of hospital as part of a new 'Year of Care Payments' initiative and the government's wider plan for change. 2:04 Speaking to The Times, chief executive of the NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor expressed concerns about the trial. He told the newspaper: "Patient experience is determined by far more than their individual interaction with the clinician and so, unless this is very carefully designed and evaluated, there is a risk that providers could be penalised for more systemic issues, such as constraints around staffing or estates, that are beyond their immediate control to fix." He said that NHS leaders would be keen to "understand more about the proposal", because elements were "concerning". Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "We will reward great patient care, so patient experience and clinical excellence are met with extra cash. These reforms are key to keeping people healthy and out of hospital, and to making the NHS sustainable for the long-term as part of the Plan for Change." In the raft of announcements in the 10 Year Health Plan, the government has said 201 bodies responsible for overseeing and running parts of the NHS in England - known as quangos - will be scrapped. These include Healthwatch England, set up in 2012 to speak out on behalf of NHS and social care patients, the National Guardian's Office, created in 2015 to support NHS whistleblowers, and the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB). Royal College of Nursing General Secretary chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger described the move as "so unsafe for patients right now". "Today, in hospitals across the NHS, we know one nurse can be left caring for 10, 15 or more patients at a time. It's not safe. It's not effective. And it's not acceptable. "For these proposed changes to be effective government must take ownership of the real issue, the staffing crisis on our wards, and not just shuffle people into new roles. Protecting patients has to be the priority and not just a drive for efficiency." Elsewhere, the new head of NHS England Sir Jim Mackey said key parts of the NHS appear "built to keep the public away because it's an inconvenience". "We've made it really hard, and we've probably all been on the end of it," he told the Daily Telegraph.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Carrie Johnson warns mums over dehydration after hospital visit
Carrie Johnson has warned mums who breastfeed to make sure they eat and drink enough in the summer heat, after telling her social media followers that she was admitted to hospital for severe wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson shared a selfie from a hospital bed while cradling the couple's fourth child, five-week-old Poppy, on Friday Johnson, 37, wrote in an Instagram post alongside the photo: "Being hospitalised for two nights for severe dehydration was not on my postpartum bingo card."She urged "breastfeeding mums" to make sure they eat and drink enough, "especially if your babe is clusterfeeding". Mrs Johnson, who gave birth to the little girl - full name Poppy Eliza Josephine Johnson - on 21 May, thanked the NHS in a second Instagram post for looking after the pair during a "brutal" wrote: "This week has honestly been brutal. "Mastitis (me), reflux (her), dehydration (me). What a pair we are!"But thank you for all the kind messages, especially all the brilliant advice on reflux. Really appreciate it and made me feel way less alone going thru it all."And as ever, thanks to our amazing NHS."The NHS recommends drinking more water when there's a higher risk of dehydrating, including when sweating due to hot website lists symptoms as feeling thirsty, having dark yellow, strong-smelling urine; urinating less often than usual; feeling dizzy or lightheaded; feeling tired; a dry mouth, lips and its breastfeeding advice, it says to drink plenty of fluids, including keeping a drink close when settling down to breastfeed, with water, lower fat milks, lower sugar or sugar-free drinks all recommended. Heat health alerts came into force on Saturday across most of England as the country braces for a second summer amber alert covers the East Midlands, south-east, south-west, east and London - meaning various health services and the whole population could be affected by the heat, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).Temperatures are forecast to rise into the 30s over the weekend, while Monday could be the hottest day of the year so far with a temperature of 34C, possibly 35C in London towards the Cambridgeshire area, according to BBC National Pharmacy Association, which represents about 6,000 community pharmacies in the UK, has warned people to keep medicines below 25C during the heatwave, unless the medicine has different storage instructions such as Basra, its vice-chair, said: "It's important we take sensible precautions, including double checking that your medication is stored correctly in a cool dry place as per any storage instructions, ideally below 25 degrees, as well drinking plenty of fluids and keeping your homes cool in the hottest hours of the day."
