Since July 2024, 16 people in Austria have fallen ill with a certain strain of salmonella (Salmonella umbilo), three of whom had to be hospitalised. People in Carinthia, Upper Austria, Styria, Tyrol and Vienna are affected. Cases of illness with this strain have also been reported from other European countries.

This foodborne outbreak is being investigated in close cooperation between AGES, the Ministry of Health and the relevant provincial authorities. The majority of patients interviewed by AGES stated that they had eaten rocket in the seven days prior to the onset of the illness. The pathogen was detected through targeted tracing by the competent authorities and random testing of the suspected food. The affected batches are no longer available on the market. In summary, there are epidemiological and microbiological indications that rocket from Italian production is the infection vehicle in this outbreak, which is also affecting other European countries.

The results of the surveys in Austria were communicated to the European Commission and the EU Member States via the European rapid alert system RASFF. The information from Austria can be used for further surveys and necessary measures