Salmonella hits festivalgoers in Spain
More than 160 people fell ill after attending a music and food festival in Spain.
At least 162 people were infected with Salmonella after eating food at the Trasan Fest festival held on June 27 and 28 in Oza Cesuras (a Coruña). Among these, 22 required hospitalization.
The incident caused a health alert from the General Directorate of Public Health of Sergas (Galicien Health Service).
The initial surveys suggest a link to one of the food stalls of the festival selling tortillas. A Spanish tortilla is generally made of eggs and potatoes. Health officials conduct epidemiological surveys among people affected to identify the specific source of the epidemic.
Call for inspections
In a statement, the festival organizers said they were deeply regretted the incident.
“We collaborate with the authorities to locate the source of the incident, probably linked to a raw material provided by one of our suppliers,” they said.
The group of consumers, Facua Galicia, calls on the Galicia Ministry of Health to perform inspections from all establishments, catering trucks or mobile food sellers in places that welcome music festivals or other cultural events, to prevent such food poisoning incidents.
Facua said that people affected by the Salmonella epidemic have the right to claim compensation for the days they have undergone their health.
Proof of the type of injury suffered, with the appropriate medical report, is necessary. It would also be useful to have proof of consumption of the product or a medical ratio connecting salmonella infection to the consumption of the product.
In 2023, the most frequently identified causal agent in epidemics was salmonella with 350, which also led to the greatest number of patients associated with 2,747 epidemics, hospitalizations with 356 and four deaths. Salmonella’s largest epidemic touched 159 people. Several epidemics have been associated with the consumption of eggs and egg products.
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