Warm spell is blamed for 70% increase in salmonella

WARMER weather could be responsible for an outbreak of salmonella in Scotland, as new figures show an increase of almost 70 per cent - the highest total since 2001.

Health Protection Scotland said the first 16 weeks of this year saw 223 reports of the stomach bug, compared to 133 during the same period last year.

Experts believe the milder weather is likely to have caused a surge in the number of cases. Last month supermarkets reported a boom in barbecues as Scotland enjoyed temperatures hotter than the Mediterranean.

Dr Pietro Mastroeni, a senior lecturer in microbiology at Cambridge University, said the unseasonably warm conditions meant more people were having barbecues, which increased the risk of food not being properly cooked.

He said: "It's quite significant. It's usually the barbecue season when we see an increase, but it's a bit early in the year. The warmer weather could be a factor.

"When people make burgers and sausages the bacteria is mixed into the centre of the meat, and if it's undercooked it can cause disease."

Dr Mastroeni said that the increase in the number of reported cases would mask a larger outbreak, as most people falling ill would not report the illness to their doctor.

"The reported cases are significant because the majority of people that catch gastroenteritis don't go to their GP," he said.

"There will be many more people ... and most cases go undiagnosed. Some outbreaks are very serious; they can kill elderly people and children."

Salmonella is a bacterium usually found in poultry, eggs, unprocessed milk, meat and water. The bug attacks the stomach and intestines. In more serious cases, it may enter the lymph tracts, which carry water and protein to the blood, and the blood itself. Most cases usually clear up within a couple of weeks, with symptoms confined to diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

Last month, health officials were investigating an outbreak of salmonella at the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, when nine cases of the bug were confirmed. Most of those who contracted the bacteria were patients.

Cadbury Schweppes, the confectionery giant, faces prosecution over an outbreak of the bug that forced it to recall a million chocolate bars. The company is accused of placing "unsafe" chocolate products on the market. It will also be prosecuted over an alleged failure to immediately inform the authorities about the contamination, blamed on a leaking pipe.