SPANISH authorities say that at least 13 people have been poisoned by salmonella after eating domestically produced eggs.
The European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) has classified the outbreak as ‘serious’.
The eggs were part of a consignment that were also exported to Portugal and the batch has been withdrawn from sale.
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The El Pais newspaper says that the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has not provided any further details about the outbreak.
That includes the condition of the people who have contracted salmonella, the number of eggs that were contaminated, or which parts of the country have been affected.
El Pais reports that AESAN no longer considers the infected eggs to pose a risk as their withdrawal appears to be good enough to prevent further salmonella cases amongst humans.
Salmonella presents itself in victims after an incubation period which varies between six to 72 hours.
It can causes diarrhoea, abdominal pain, repeated nausea and vomiting, as well as fever and intense discomfort.
In the overwhelming majority of cases, any illness disappears amongst health adults with days.
But with older people or anybody with underlying medical conditions, complications can occur, which in extreme circumstances can lead to death.
The last major salmonella outbreak within the European Union was in Belgium last May, which hit 200 people.
Hens can be infected with the pathogen in various ways via feed, water, and wildlife.
They then become asymptomatic carriers and can contaminate their eggs by vertical transmission.
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