The number of reported bacterial food poisoning cases is soaring, according to figures released by the Food Safety Authority yesterday.
There was a 76 per cent jump in the number of bacterial food poisoning cases (other than salmonella) reported in the Republic during the first seven months of the year. A total of 1,060 cases were identified by the health boards, compared to 602 for the same period in 1997.
However, the number of salmonella cases more than halved, falling from 767 last year to just 367 up to the end of July.
The Food Safety Authority's director of communications, Ms Eilis O'Brien, said the fall in salmonella incidents reflected the unusually high number of cases in 1997. Many of these were linked to imported eggs.
It was too early to tell if the major increase in non-salmonella cases would continue or if it would level out, Ms O'Brien said. The increase may be a result of better reporting of cases, as a result of the Food Safety Authority's work, she added.
However, the official statistics represented just a fraction of the number of food poisoning incidents which occurred, Ms O'Brien said. A pilot study by the authority last year suggested reported cases accounted for just one-tenth of all cases in 1997, and there were probably about 20,000 food poisoning incidents each year.
Ms O'Brien urged the public to redouble good food hygiene and handling practices. Food poisoning presented a real threat, she warned, especially for vulnerable sections of the population, such as the young and the old.
The Food Safety Authority is advising the public not to leave food out of the fridge for long periods of time. When stored in a fridge, uncooked meat should be kept on the bottom shelf and should not come into contact with other food.