Food scandal in Szeged

An unbelievably large number of people (98) became infected with Salmonella enteritidis, a serious infecting agent in Szeged and Domaszék last week. Most of the infected are kids, however, there are four adults involved, too. Not only schoolchildren, but also kids attending nursery school and play-school got infected. The poisonous food arrived from a restaurant in Domaszék, the so-called "Nagyi Kifőzde", which was shut down by the authorities last week.


Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhoea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases the diarrhoea may be so severe that the patient becomes dangerously dehydrated and must be taken to a hospital. This happened to a few of the infected children.




The seriousness of this infection is demonstrated by the fact that there are few children who are still under treatment at the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Szeged at the moment. According to the food-delivering company, the cause of the infection was the swelter and the inadequate storing. The schools, nurseries and play-schools have been desinfected last week. The company appears to have made several serious mistakes which lead to the break-out of the infection so it was shut down a few days ago. The parents and teachers are indignant.