Salmonella infections in England have reached their highest level in a decade, with 10,406 laboratory-confirmed cases recorded last year, according to figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This marks a 26% increase from the 8,242 cases in 2016 and surpasses the 10,389 cases in 2024. The infection rate has also risen from 14.9 per 100,000 people in 2016 to 17.8 per 100,000 in 2025.
The UKHSA has urged the public to practise good hygiene to reduce the risk of salmonella and campylobacter infections, which cause symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, and high temperature. Dr Gauri Godbole, the UKHSA’s deputy director for gastrointestinal infections, said: “We are seeing consistently high levels of gastrointestinal infections in England. These infections spread in many ways – through contaminated food or water, contact with an infected person or contact with infected animals or their environment.”
Campylobacter infections also remained high, with 69,394 cases last year, a slight decrease from 70,392 the previous year. Foodborne outbreak data published on Thursday shows that outbreaks of 13 types of salmonella bacteria during 2025 left 269 people unwell, with 33 hospitalised but no deaths. The sources of these outbreaks included restaurants, a takeaway, a hospital, a nursery, and a prison.
Children aged up to nine are most affected by salmonella, which affects men and women equally. The highest number of cases occurred in September. Infections typically result from consuming contaminated poultry, meat, eggs, raw fruit or vegetables, or unpasteurised milk products, but can also occur through close contact with an infected person or cross-contamination in the kitchen.
Separately, listeriosis killed 28 of the 181 people infected last year and resulted in 13 stillbirths or miscarriages. Dr James Cooper, the Food Standards Agency’s deputy director of food policy, advised following the four Cs of food hygiene: chilling, cleaning, cooking, and avoiding cross-contamination.
