Published: 13:02 BST, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 18:18 BST, 18 August 2026
One person has died and hundreds more have fallen ill with salmonella food poisoning in a major outbreak which health officials believe is linked to contaminated imported eggs.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the surge in cases was caused by a single strain of the bug. They are investigating the outbreak, which has seen 207 cases detected since the start of the year.
The vast majority of the cases have been in England, with more than a third of those struck down needing hospital care.
Those affected include babies and patients in their 90s, and two have developed life-threatening blood infections.
Salmonella usually causes a fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea which clears up in a few days. But it can be fatal.
It is typically caught by eating contaminated food such as poultry, meat, eggs, raw fruit and vegetables and unpasteurised dairy products.
According to the UKHSA, the current outbreak appears to be related to a previous bout of cases in 2025, which was also linked back to contaminated eggs.
Of the 207 cases confirmed as of August 13, 114 been linked back to five food businesses, with cross-contamination risks identified at two of these premises.
However, the UKHSA warned: 'At this time there is no identified link to UK-produced eggs or poultry.'
More than a third of people affected in the outbreak were admitted to hospital
Health officials are now urging people to take precautionary measures against catching the bacteria, which it said are common causes of food poisoning.
Those in vulnerable groups may develop more severe illness such as bloodstream infections, infection of metastatic sites, sepsis and multiorgan failure, it added.
Hannah Charles, lead epidemiologist for gastrointestinal infections at the UKHSA, said: 'We’re working with Food Standards Agency and other public health agencies to investigate a salmonella outbreak that may be linked to eggs imported from outside of the UK.
'Salmonellosis is often caused by eating or handling contaminated food and can be spread rarely from person to person.
