Risk Wire - Episode 3 - When Salmonella Crosses Borders

This is a third episode of our ECDC: On Air podcast sub-series - the "Risk Wire" - focusing on Risk Assessments ECDC publishes. This time we look into a prolonged multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Strathcona has affected 17 European countries and has been ongoing since 2023, with more than 400 confirmed cases reported so far. Investigations have identified small tomatoes as the most likely vehicle of infection, highlighting the complexity of foodborne outbreaks and the role of the environment in food contamination. In this episode, we talk to Dr Taina Niskanen, Expert in Food-, Waterborne and Zoonotic Diseases at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and Dr Eleonora Sarno, scientific officer at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Together, they explain what Salmonella is, how it spreads, and the symptoms it can cause. They walk listeners through how the outbreak was detected and investigated across countries, how whole genome sequencing helps link human, food and environmental samples, and why collaboration between public health, food safety and environmental sectors is essential. The episode also explores how ECDC and EFSA work with national authorities to track cases, trace food sources, and support control measures using a One Health approach. Finally, the experts share practical food hygiene advice and explain what people can do at home to reduce the risk of infection. Want to know more about the outbreak? Read our press release here: bit.ly/3KNFGCx Find out more about Salmonella on the disease pages on ECDC Portal here: More information on epidemiology in Europe in general can be found on our portal: ⁠ecdc.europa.eu⁠ and ⁠social media channels⁠: bit.ly/ECDCSocialMedia Happy listening!

You can listen to Risk Wire - Episode 3 - When Salmonella Crosses Borders online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Risk Wire - Episode 3 - When Salmonella Crosses Borders is an episode from ECDC: On Air by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

This episode is 00:20:48 long.

This episode was published on Dec 19, 2025.

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