Three children have contracted a severe form of salmonella after licking the spoon used in baking or cooking with duck eggs, disease watchdogs in the Republic of Ireland revealed yesterday.

They are among seven people who have been diagnosed with one of the more severe strains of the bug in an outbreak linked to contaminated duck eggs.

Three people have had to be hospitalised since the first case came to light in February, said Dr Paul McKeown of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre yesterday.

He warned parents not to let children lick a spoon which had been used in baking or cooking with duck eggs, while adults also needed to take precautions to reduce the risk of infection.

"Many children love to lick the cake or food mixture from the spoon during baking and unfortunately in this outbreak it has probably resulted in some falling ill."

Food-safety experts have, as yet, been unable to trace the source of the salmonella in duck eggs and have not linked it to any producer or farmer's market.

Dr McKeown said the strain of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8 had been linked to the duck eggs and this form of the bacteria is responsible for around a quarter of the 400-500 cases of the bug reported here each year.

Salmonella can be fatal in a small number of cases but it mostly causes diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever. The outbreak has not caused serious illness but three of its victims have been hospitalised. Patients, however, can end up very dehydrated or lose a significant amount of blood.

"Occasionally , the illness can be severe, especially in children and the elderly.

"Anyone who may have these symptoms after recently eating duck eggs or products made with duck eggs should contact their doctor for advice," Dr McKeown said.

He added that, as yet, the precise location and extent of the problem "is not sufficiently clear for us to offer guidance on food distribution or recall".

"The only way to stay safe is by thoroughly cooking all duck eggs and by preventing cross-contamination between any raw egg and ready-to-eat foods.

"People should also wash their hands, any preparation surfaces and cooking utensils after handling or using duck eggs," he said, saying that it may have contaminated the shell. A hard-boiled egg is safe but soft-boiled eggs should not be eaten by children, the elderly or those whose immune system has been lowered.

A spokeswoman for the Food Safety Authority said the cases so far have been spread out across the country. She said they were working to control the outbreak and prevent more cases.

Source Irish Independent