Data published in February 2017 by Health Protection Scotland, showed a decline of 15.5% in the number of laboratory reports of human cases of campylobacter in Scotland in 2016, compared to the previous year. This is the consecutive year in which there has been a decline in reports of Campylobacter. Furthermore, in 2016 there were no general outbreaks of campylobacter reported.
In addition, information published by FSA indicate that this downward trend extends across the UK, with figures from clinical surveillance bodies showing a 17% reduction in the number of reported campylobacter cases in the UK in 2016. Results based on modelling undertaken by the FSA have estimated that these figures equate to 100,000 fewer cases of campylobacter across the UK as a whole. This has a positive impact on the burden to the economy, with fewer days off work and reduced NHS costs.
Levels of campylobacter; in chicken continue to decline, which is demonstrated in the first set of results from the FSA’s third year survey of campylobacter on fresh shop-bought whole chickens.
The results for the first five months of the third retail survey, from August to December 2016, show:
• Overall, 7% of chickens tested positive for campylobacter within the highest band of contamination
• Among the nine retailers with the highest market share, 5% of chickens tested positive for campylobacter within the highest band of contamination
• The percentage of chickens that tested positive for the presence of campylobacter at any level is 56%, down from 66% in 2015 and 78% in 2014
