Campylobacteriosis remains the most reported infection in humans since 2005 and the number of cases has been increasing over the last five years. The report supports the European Commission and EU Member States in their consideration of possible measures to protect consumers from risks related to zoonoses.

“The positive progress in the reduction of Salmonella cases in humans and poultry is continuing and the majority of member states met the targets set for the reduction of Salmonella in different poultry flocks in 2010,” Claudia Heppner, EFSA’s acting director of risk assessment and scientific assistance, said in a statement.

According to the report, the likely main reasons for the decrease in human salmonellosis cases are the successful EU Salmonella control programs

for reducing the prevalence of the bacteria in poultry populations, particularly in laying hens. Salmonella accounted for 99,020 reported human cases in 2010 compared to 108,618 in 2009.

Salmonella was found most often in chicken and turkey meat.

In 2010, a total of 212,064 Campylobacter cases in humans were reported, an increase for the fifth consecutive year with 7 percent more cases compared to 2009. In foodstuffs, Campylobacter was mostly found in raw poultry meat. To combat Campylobacter, the European Commission is carrying out a cost-benefit analysis of the control measures for the bacteria at different stages of the food chain.

The report also gives an overview of other food-borne diseases. Human cases of Shiga toxin/verotoxin -producing Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC) have been increasing since 2008 and amounted to 4,000 reported cases in 2010. Among animals and foodstuffs, VTEC was most often reported in cattle and their meat.

Listeria infections in humans showed a slight decrease with 1,601 confirmed cases in 2010. In 2013, EFSA will be analyzing the results of an EU-wide baseline survey on Listeria in ready-to-eat foods including smoked fish, heat-treated meat products and soft and semi-soft cheeses, which will provide further valuable information on its prevalence and the factors contributing to this in these high-risk foods.

Researchers reported that 5,262 food-borne outbreaks were recorded in the EU in 2010, slightly less than in 2009. These reported outbreaks affected more than 43,000 people and caused 25 deaths; however, these figures may in reality be higher due to under-reporting. The most frequently reported causes were Salmonella (31 percent of all outbreaks), viruses such as norovirus (15 percent) and Campylobacter (9 percent).