Upsurge in Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks in England and Wales, September to November 2002

The biggest change in the epidemiology of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis in England and Wales since the emergence of S. Enteritidis phage type (PT) 4 in the 1980s has occurred during the autumn of 2002 (1,2). Since the beginning of September 2002, 19 outbreaks of S. Enteritidis have been reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in England (PHLS CDSC), compared with five during the same period in 2001. Almost 1000 people have been affected in these outbreaks, and there have been 10 deaths (all in people with underlying illnesses, and including one late death). Cases in three continuing outbreaks, affecting over 400 people, are distributed nationally. These are outbreaks of S. Enteritidis PT 14b (345 cases), S. Enteritidis PT 56 (31 cases) and S. Enteritidis PT 6d (resistant to ampicillin (Ampr)) (35 cases).