Surveillance of foodborne disease outbreaks associated with consumption of eggs and egg products: Spain, 2002 - 2003

Foodborne disease outbreaks are a public health problem for certain population groups in Spain, because of their magnitude and severity. The foods implicated in these outbreaks tend to be prepared with raw shell eggs, and Salmonella serotype Enteritidis tends to be the causative agent. In Spain, foodborne outbreaks due to consumption of eggs and egg products have not declined since 1998, despite the introduction of numerous prevention measures aimed at addressing this problem. Such measures include health education and making it mandatory for food catering facilities that cook and/or serve meals to replace raw shell eggs with pasteurised egg products when food is prepared without heat treatment and for immediate consumption.