One dead, 220 ill in salmonella outbreak

An elderly woman has died and at least 220 people are ill after a salmonella outbreak in Brisbane. Source: AAP

A BAD batch of eggs is being blamed for a salmonella outbreak linked to Melbourne Cup functions in Brisbane which has left a woman dead and more than 220 people ill.

Seven people have needed hospital treatment following the contagion, which health officials say was a contributory factor in the death of a 77-year-old woman.

Piccalilli Catering said on Thursday it was the company at the centre of the scare, blaming eggs used to make fresh mayonnaise for 40 Cup functions in the city last week.

It says it has since dropped the wholesaler who provided the eggs.

Metro North Hospital and Health Services says up to 700 people could have been exposed to the bacteria and it urged people showing symptoms of the infection to seek medical attention.

Director Dr Susan Vlack said people should be vigilant even if they had not yet been ill. She said some people could become sick up to two weeks after exposure.

"The next few days is the time to be aware," Dr Vlack said.

None of the seven people hospitalised were critically ill, but two were reasonably sick, she said.

She has written to all companies and private function co-ordinators who used Piccalilli to advise them of the situation.

The salmonella bacteria can spread to humans through contaminated food such as meat, poultry and eggs.

Symptoms include fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and last between four and seven days.

Most people recover, but salmonella infection can cause severe illness in young children and older people.

"There were no cases at all evident until three days after the Cup and gradually cases have been presenting," Dr Vlack said.

Piccalilli Catering co-owner Helen Grace says the company is distressed at the outbreak and has launched its own probe.

"We feel very disappointed and let down that the normally reliable fresh food supply chain has failed us and our clients on this occasion," she said in a statement posted online.

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