A salmonella outbreak has sickened 21 students and staff at a St Petersburg school, according to a recent Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) report (computer translated).
The outbreak, primarily affecting children 4-6 years old, occurred at the HBDUU kindergarten № 46 Pushkin district. Twenty-one people total were infected, including 17 children. 4 kids required hospitalization for their illness.
Officials immediately started a sanitary and epidemiological investigation. A survey of the staff of the HBDU Kindergarten No. 46 was conducted. Laboratory studies of food raw materials and food products were conducted.
During the investigation, gross violations of the requirements of the legislation in the field of sanitary and epidemiological well-being were revealed.
Salmonella infection is a common bacterial disease that can cause illness and rarely, it can be severe. Usually, people who get salmonella infection develop symptoms within 12 to 36 hours after ingesting the bacteria, but symptoms can appear as early as six hours and as late as three days after ingestion.
Symptoms of salmonella infection generally last four to seven days and include: Diarrhea, headache, fever, nausea, abdominal pain, dehydration, vomiting, muscle pains and bloody stools.
Most people get better without treatment, but in some cases, the diarrhea associated with a salmonella infection can cause dehydration, which can sometimes result in hospitalization.