A Salmonella outbreak has been connected to contaminated cucumbers from Spain in Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. From the end of October to the beginning of December, people across the country became ill. No additional instances have been reported which indicates that the contaminated product is no longer being sold. Cucumbers from a single Spanish supplier are believed to be the source of the outbreak. 

According to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), 72 persons have become ill with 24 being hospitalized. According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, 31 persons in Sweden have been affected.  Patients range in age from one to 88, with a median of 36 years old, and 37 are female. The Netherlands has 6 confirmed cases and 2 possible cases. They are 5 men and 2 women ranging in age from 5 to 75. They have all been hospitalized. 

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health examined 50 patient interviews as well as purchase data. The FDA also conducted a case-control study, comparing what patients ate to what a random sample of other people ate. Cucumber was consumed by nearly 90% of patients affected in the week preceding their illness. 

Cucumber was the single most consumed food product in the week preceding getting unwell in 14 instances. Patients are suspected of having contracted the infection from a single source after whole genome sequencing revealed they had the same strain of Salmonella Agona.

Salmonella Infection:

Salmonella-contaminated food does not normally smell or taste rotten. People with weaker immune systems, such as cancer patients, older adults, children, and pregnant women, are more susceptible to developing severe infections and serious, often life-threatening problems.

Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever 12 to 72 hours after consuming contaminated food. Healthy adults typically become ill for four to seven days. In certain situations, the diarrhea is so severe that patients require hospitalization. Some people become infected without becoming ill or exhibiting any symptoms still they can spread the disease.