For the moment, in France, 42 children with an average age of 3 have contracted salmonellosis following contamination of Kinder products manufactured in a Belgian factory. Update on the situation.
Ferrero is facing an international outbreak of salmonellosis in young children. In France, 42 cases have been identified by the National Reference Center (CNR) for salmonella at the Institut Pasteur in France, according to Public Health France. All are related to product recall Kinder following the detection of contamination by Salmonella Typhimurium in a Belgian factory. If the recall concerned certain products at the beginning of April, it now includes all Kinder products from this factory, regardless of their expiration date. Including calendars advent calendars Christmas 2021.
Very young children infected
The median age of the 42 infected children (22 boys and 20 girls) is 3 years old. Thirty-two of them claim to have eaten Kinder chocolates before the onset of their symptoms. Thirteen were hospitalized, but have since been discharged. ” No deaths have been reported “, specifies Public Health France which continues its investigations with families reporting symptoms.
As of April 20, the children concerned were spread over 11 regions: Ile-De-France (7 cases), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (7 cases), Grand-Est (6 cases), Hauts-de- France (4 cases), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (4 cases), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (3 cases), Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (3 cases), Normandy (3 cases), Brittany (2 cases), Occitanie (2 cases ), and Corsica (1 case). Fortunately, the successive withdrawals and recalls of the products concerned, as well as the closure of the factory by the Belgian authorities ” should limit the occurrence in France of new cases of salmonellosis in the coming days/weeks “.
Symptoms that should alert
Salmonellosis causes “ gastrointestinal disorders often accompanied by fever within 48 hours of consuming contaminated products “. An infected person will mainly suffer from fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Young children, pregnant women, immunocompromised and elderly people are most at risk of developing a severe form. In case of symptoms, it is recommended to consult a doctor.