Salmonella enteritidis
21 May 2010
Over the past three years, British Columbia has seen a steady increase in cases of a particular strain of salmonella, with the vast majority of these being reported in the Lower Mainland.
Since 2008, over 500 cases have been reported, and it is estimated that for every one case reported, between 13 and 37 others actually occur in the population. While 14 per cent of infected individuals have required hospitalization, no deaths have been associated with this outbreak.
An investigation by the BC Centre for Disease Control and local health authorities found that eggs from the broiler breeder industry and eggs from unregistered producers were in part behind a 300-per-cent increase in the incidence of salmonella enteritidis since 2007.