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FOI 2024 060 - Salmonella in Wrexham

 

Information Requested:

Please can you advise on what is happening with the outbreak of salmonella in Wrexham city 

  

Outbreak in the nags head public house 

  

38 people affected  

  

This has been so long now and just getting emails saying waiting on public health wales to do a report  

  

It feels like they have got away with it 

  

Your response or report would be appreciated 

 

Clarification:  

 

Please could I have an update with regards my request for info regarding salmonella outbreak  

  

  1. what was found 

  1. Who was responsible  

  1. What has been recommended to venue 

  1. Why this has happened 

 

Information provided for the answer:

Thank you for your recent request.  

 

What was found 

  

A total of 33 confirmed, genetically identical, cases of Salmonella infection and one probable case were identified, all having attended the Nags Head public house on Mount Street, Wrexham, owned by Marston’s PLC.      

  

Who was responsible  

  

An investigation was undertaken, which included the premises being visited on a number of occasions by Environmental Health Officers, who reviewed food hygiene practices and took food and environmental samples.  No major food concerns were identified, and all samples were negative for salmonella.  Whilst the evidence indicated that the Nags Head is the exposure site for the infections, extensive investigation and testing has been unable to identify the source and route of transmission of the salmonella infection.  Consequently, responsibility is difficult to attribute.    

  

What has been recommended to venue  

  

Control measures were put in place.  This included voluntary temporary closure and a deep clean of the premises, exclusion of staff, minor refinements to food handling processes, and installation of an additional handwash basin in the kitchen area.   Following application of the control measures, no further cases of salmonella have been identified. 

  

Why this has happened  

  

Salmonella bacteria live in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals.  People can become infected with salmonella for a variety of sources, including eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water, touching infected animals, their faeces, or their environment. Identification of infection by salmonella is relatively frequent; in Wales, during 2023, there were 498 confirmed cases of salmonellosis.  We don’t know how the salmonella contamination was introduced into the setting, nor how it was transmitted, but some staff were infected as were a number of customers who consumed food at the premises.   

 


If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of the decision, you should write to the Corporate Complaints Manager, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, 3, Number 2, Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint or review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Trust. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner for Wales
2nd Floor
Churchill House
Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH

Telephone: 029 2067 8400
Email: wales@ico.org.uk