15 July update: Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to chocolate products

This outbreak is characterised by high proportion of hospitalised (about 40%) cases, most of these are children below 10 years of age, and some cases with severe clinical symptoms like bloody diarrhoea.

Affected cases have been identified through advanced molecular typing techniques. As this method of testing is not routinely performed in all countries, some cases may be undetected.

Based on epidemiological and microbiological investigations, specific chocolate products from a Belgian chocolate factory were identified as likely vehicles of infection.

The factory was closed on 8 April 2022 (week 14) and product recalls were launched globally. The recalls aimed to prevent the consumption of products potentially contaminated with Salmonella. As a result of control measures, number of cases have declined rapidly.

Further investigations are needed to identify the root cause of the contamination, and to ensure that contaminated products are not put on the market. 

Table 1. Number of confirmed and probable cases of monophasic S. Typhimurium in the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and the United States, as of 15 July 2022

Figure 1. Distribution of confirmed and probable monophasic S. Typhimurium cases by week-year in 13 EU/EEA countries and the UK, as of 15 July 2022

Figure 2. Number of confirmed and probable cases with monophasic S. Typhimurium infection by country, EU/EEA and the UK