Since late summer 2016, Sweden has had a sharp increase in the number of cases of campylobacter, where the primary cause has been the Swedish produced fresh chicken.

Raw chicken Image/Dnor
Raw chicken
Image/Dnor

The number of people getting sick from campylobacter remains at a high level in Sweden, according to Folkhalsomyndigheten (computer translated). The measures the chicken industry has to make a significant impact to date.

In February, a major chicken producer announced an issue in a washing plant of a slaughterhouse, which has been rectified.

The Public Health Agency’s statistics on the number of people who become ill after being infected in Sweden shows at levels remained above normal, suggesting that it was not just washing plant that caused the outbreak.

Campylobacter is an intestinal bacterium that can be found in chicken meat that is not cooked, and it can cause severe symptoms including diarrhea in people who are sick. You must be careful handling raw chicken – especially fresh, but also frozen – and must be careful to wash their hands properly and ensure utensils and cutting boards that have come into contact with the meat are thoroughly cleaned before use with other food.

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