A fatal salmonella outbreak that has hit the UK and Germany has been linked to the consumption of watermelon, health officials have said.
One person has died in an outbreak of salmonella newport that has sickened 30 people in England, the country’s Health Protection Agency said. The person who died had serious underlying health problems, it revealed.
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Cases of illness caused by the same strain have been confirmed in Scotland, Ireland and Germany, the agency added.
“Although it’s too soon to say with certainty what the likely cause of infection is, early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon. This has also been noted in the cases in Scotland and Germany although further investigation is ongoing,” Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA, said.
