Salmonella in Europe - 2022
In 2022, 30 EU/EEA countries reported 66,721 salmonellosis cases, of which 65,967 were classified as laboratory confirmed – a rate of 15.5 cases per 100 000 population.
• Salmonellosis is the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection in the EU/EEA, and a significant cause of food-borne outbreaks.
• The reported case rate was highest in young children (0−4 years) with 81.5 cases per 100 000 population, ten times higher than in adults (25–64 years). The fact that the salmonellosis rate in young children was ten times higher compared with adults may be explained by a higher proportion of symptomatic infections among young children, an increased likelihood of parents taking children to see a doctor when sick, and increased likelihood of doctors taking samples.
• Egg and egg products continue to be the highest risk foods in Salmonella outbreaks, although the largest outbreak in the EU/EEA in 2022 was from chocolate.
• The hospitalisation status was reported for 29,712 salmonellosis cases in 2022 and of those, 39.3% had been hospitalised.
