Seven Norwegians infected by rare salmonella variant
Seven Norwegians around the country are infected with a type of salmonella that has never been detected in Norway before.
The Public Health Institute (FHI) has been notified that seven people are infected with a rare variant of the bacterium Salmonella Typhimurium.
The infected are aged 19 to 60 years old, living in Finnmark, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Akershus and Oslo.
– The samples of the patients were taken at the end of August, and all are thought to be infected in Norway. Bacteria with similar DNA profiles have been detected in all seven people, says senior adviser at the Institute of Public Health, Heidi Lange.
According to FHI, the DNA profile of the bacterium found in the seven has never been found in Norway before. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain.
In cooperation with the municipal health service, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Veterinary Institute, FHI is conducting interviews with the patients and samples are taken to find the source of the infections.
– It’s still too early to say something about this is a limited outbreak or something that will increase in scope, but we monitor the situation closely, says Lange.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
