In 2024, the number of people who became ill from salmonella rose again, continuing the trend from 2023. There were also more poultry farms contaminated with these bacteria. The main type found was Salmonella enteritidis. There were fewer bird flu infections at poultry farms compared to 2023. These findings and more are presented in the Zoonoses Report, published annually by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Authority (NVWA).
Zoonoses are infectious diseases which can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. The Zoonoses report shows how often these diseases occur in the Netherlands (incidence) and which are most common (prevalence).
More salmonella infections in 2024
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that is very contagious. The bacteria can be found in eggs, chicken or other meat. Salmonella is usually found on the eggshell. People can become ill if bacteria from a raw egg is transferred from hands to mouth. Exposure can also happen by eating raw eggs or undercooked eggs, chicken or other meat.
In 2024, more chickens were infected with Salmonella enteritidis. It is not yet clear why there were more infections at these farms; the investigation is ongoing.
Less bird flu at farms
In 2024, there were two infections involving bird flu (avian influenza variant H5N1) at poultry farms. This is fewer than in 2023. There were no human infections involving bird flu in the Netherlands.
Exceptional infections in 2024
2024 saw the first time that a cat in the Netherlands was infected with a Lyssa virus – a type of rabies that occurs in bats. There was also an outbreak of bird flu among cows in the United States of America. Cows in the Netherlands were tested, but the disease was not found here. Effective tests are now available to test cows if it becomes necessary.
Diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes
As of this year, the annual Zoonoses Report will also include information on diseases that can be transmitted by ticks or mosquitoes. For example, people can get Lyme disease from a tick bite in the Netherlands.
In 2024, almost no one in the Netherlands was infected by diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue, malaria or West Nile fever. Some people did contract these diseases in other countries, or in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.