“All other eggs are safe to eat, provided people exercise the usual caution required for a special care food like eggs such as washing your hands and avoiding raw egg products particularly if you are a vulnerable population such as the immune compromised, under two or over 70 years of age or pregnant,” Dr Szabo said.
“It is important to know that not all eggs are impacted but if you have any stamped with BEC or BEC115 we recommend as a precaution that you discard them.”
“We typically see a rise in Salmonella during the warmer summer months, so this is an opportune time to remind people to practice good hygiene generally when preparing food and to always keep their hands, surfaces and utensils clean and dry before and after handling eggs.”
Salmonella contamination symptoms include fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
Symptoms usually start between six to 72 hours after the contaminated food is eaten, and usually last for four to seven days - but can continue to cause illness for much longer.
Anyone with concerns is advised to contact a medical professional or hospital urgently.
The NSW Food Authority placed a Prohibition Order on the particular business that produced the contaminated eggs in January, preventing them from selling eggs while the possible Salmonella poisoning was investigated by authorities.
“While it is likely that most affected eggs are no longer in the supply chain, it is possible that people may have purchased them earlier and still have some at home in the fridge or pantry,” Dr Szabo said.
“We’d just like people to check and if they do have any eggs stamped BEC or BEC115 to throw them out to avoid any risk of food poisoning.”
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