Over 500 Salmonella Cases Tied to Smoked Salmon in Netherlands

More than 500 people in the Netherlands have now contracted Salmonella infections linked to smoked salmon, and at least one of these patients has died, reported Dutch health officials Saturday. 

According to The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment  of the Netherlands, two fatalities have been connected to the outbreak. One has been confirmed to be a result of the patient’s Salmonella infection and the other is under investigation. Both people who died were over 80 years old, reported New England Cable News Saturday.  The Dutch health agency says approximately 550 people have are now thought to be affected by the outbreak, which has been tied to smoked salmon produced by Netherlands-based Foppen but manufactured in a facility in Greece.  Foppen issued a recall of the implicated salmon October 1 after its product was named as the potential source of the outbreak, which at the time was known to have sickened around 300 people.  The company’s fish is sold globally, and was distributed in the United States by Costco Wholesale under the Foppen and Kirkland Signature brands. Costco contacted all customers – approximately 250,000 – who purchased this smoked salmon after it was made aware of the problem.  The Kirkland Signature has since been released onto the market again, as it was not manufactured at the plant where the contamination was found in Greece. The recalled Foppen brand salmon has been destroyed.  No illnesses have been linked to the product in the U.S. to date, although Costco did receive reports of illnesses after customers were notified of the recall.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is investigating an uptick in Salmonella Thompson infections but so far has no evidence of a common food source for the bacteria.