PHILIPSBURG--The Public Health Inspectorate has ordered the destruction of eggs found in various local markets that may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
The eggs that were found originated from Rose Acre Farms, the second largest egg production plant in the United States, according to the Inspectorate on Wednesday. There have been confirmed reports from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) connecting 22 cases of gastrointestinal illness to the batch of contaminated eggs.
There have been no reported cases in St. Maarten yet. Healthy individuals infected with the bacteria can experience fever, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Salmonella bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with a weakened immune response.
In this outbreak, laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain as the Salmonella Braenderup bacteria.
Clues to help consumers identify the recalled eggs include the P-1065 plant number and Julian date range of 011 through 102 printed on the cartons or packaging. Julian dates start with January 1 as 001 and end with December 31 as 365 for the consecutive days of the year. The number system is sometimes used on egg cartons to denote the day the eggs are packed.
The Inspectorate informs all retailers and consumers who might have purchased the specified eggs from Rose Acre Farms to throw them away and not eat them.
