Salmonella outbreak linked to instant noodles sickens Danish children

Ten Danish children and adolescents have fallen ill with Salmonella Stanley since January, part of an international outbreak affecting over 80 people across nine European countries, according to the Statens Serum Institut (SSI), DTU Food Institute, and Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.

Three of the Danish cases required hospitalisation. Authorities in Germany and Lithuania have traced the outbreak to instant noodles with chicken flavour produced by a Ukrainian manufacturer under the brand Reeva.

While the specific batches identified abroad were not sold in Denmark, SSI states that contaminated batches must have entered the Danish market to cause the local cases.

Ulrich Pinstrup, section head at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, warned that the flavoured noodles are not ready-to-eat and should not be consumed directly from the package, particularly as some children and adolescents have been eating them uncooked. Cooking the noodles as instructed reduces the risk of infection.

Salmonella typically causes general discomfort, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever, with symptoms appearing 12 to 36 hours after exposure. Most cases resolve on their own, but persistent symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor, advised Susanne Schjørring, section head at SSI.