Sweden is searching for the source of crypto and salmonella outbreaks
Swedish officials are investigating the recent increase in reported cases of Cryptosporidium.
A total of 61 people have been confirmed to be infected with the same particular type of Cryptosporidium parvum. These people fell ill from September 25 to October 10 and live in 10 different regions of the country.
Of the confirmed cases, 41 are women and 20 are men. They are between 11 and 86 years old with an average age of 44.
There are an additional 98 possible infections that have been reported within the same period and some of these may also be related to the outbreak.
The Public Health Agency said the increase is under investigation but could be foods with wide distribution in the country.
Local infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency and the Public Health Agency are investigating the outbreak to identify the source of infection.
Cryptosporidium is a parasite that, if ingested, can cause cryptosporidiosis. Transmission occurs mainly through contact with contaminated water but can occur via food or exposure to infected animals or water contaminated by faeces from infected animals.
The main symptom is watery diarrhea, which can range from mild to severe. It is often accompanied by stomach pain, nausea or vomiting, fever and sometimes dehydration and weight loss. Symptoms usually appear two to 10 days after infection and last one to two weeks.
The salmonella outbreak appears to be ending
Meanwhile, a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has grown again with 84 people now affected, up from the 54 cases in mid-October.
The sick fell ill between 17 September and 6 October. They live in 20 of the country’s 21 regions.
The patients are between 4 and 87 years old with an average age of 48 years. The majority are women with 52 cases.
Cases have been linked through whole-genome sequencing of patient samples. This means that they are suspected of having been infected by a common source.
Officials reported that the number of suspected and confirmed infections has declined in recent days, suggesting the outbreak is coming to an end. This, as well as the rapid onset of the incident and the wide geographical spread of cases, means that fresh food with a limited shelf life is suspected to have been the cause.
Work to identify a specific source is ongoing between regional infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency and the Norwegian Public Health Agency.
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