Salmonella outbreak in Finland

07 Jul 2021

In the weeks leading up to the beginning of July 2021, a large Salmonella outbreak has affected 442 people (including 377 children) in Jyväskylä, Finland.

Most of the cases attended or work in pre-school or daycare centres. The outbreak has been linked to fresh salad, especially iceberg lettuce imported from Sweden.

Advice for Travellers

Salmonellosis is an illness caused by Salmonella bacteria which can cause you to have an upset stomach with symptoms such as diarrhoea, high temperature (fever) and stomach cramps.

You can reduce your risk of becoming infected by:

• taking food and water precautions
• practising good hand hygiene and personal hygiene
• rinsing salad leaves under clean running water, discarding any outer leaves, and drying leaves with a clean cloth or paper towel before eating

Until this outbreak is over, you should check country labelling of any salad that you buy, and avoid eating iceberg lettuce imported from Sweden.