Poisoning linked to chicken is on the rise

FOOD poisoning cases from a potentially deadly bug commonly found in chickens are on the rise in Scotland.

Nearly 6,000 people in Scotland were sickened by campylobacter in 2017, up nine per cent on 2016, while confirmed cases of salmonella remained stable at 839.

The latest figures from Health Protection Scotland (HPS) come after it emerged that just less than one in 20 fresh whole chickens sold by leading retailers in the UK had tested positive for the highest levels of contamination with the campylobacter bacteria – 1,000 colony forming units per gram – between October and December 2017.

The bug is believed to be the number one cause of food poisoning annually in the UK every year, and it has been estimated to claim 100 lives a year.

Although it is most commonly found in poultry, it can also be passed to human through red meat, mushrooms, shellfish, unpasteurised milk and untreated water.

Symptoms typically set in within two to five days of consuming contaminated food and can include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and fever.

The majority of people recover fully within a week, but certain groups are more vulnerable to the infection, such as pregnant women, frail elderly and children aged four or younger.

The HPS statistics show that there were 5,796 laboratory-confirmed cases of campylobacter in Scotland in 2017, an increase of 485 (9.1 %) on 2016.