Belgium reports 306 salmonella infections from contaminated eggs in Flanders farm

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Belgium's food safety agency said at least 306 people have been infected with salmonella traced to a poultry farm in the country's northern Flanders region, in what an agency spokesperson described as an unusually large outbreak. The bacterium was identified in eggs from the farm, with the agency warning that many more people could have been affected because symptoms can be mild or absent. No deaths have been reported, the agency said. It first detected the infection in May, issued an initial egg recall and shut down one unit of the farm. A second recall was issued on August 10 after new cases continued to rise, leading to the complete closure of the farm and the culling of its poultry. Around two million eggs potentially carrying the bacterium were sold in Belgium and neighboring Luxembourg, where local health authorities also withdrew the product. The spokesperson cautioned that some contaminated eggs may still be in consumers' kitchens and could cause additional infections. The agency noted that thorough cooking reduces the risk of illness.