Spain: 900 poisoned by cake

Almost 900 people have food poisoning after eating a special type of cake in Torroella de Montgri, some 70 kilometers north-east of Barcelona.

The cake, containing eggs, margarine and milk, is baked along Spain’s Mediterranean coast to commemorate the day of St. John the Baptist. The centre of the infection is said to be the town of Torroella de Montgri. 876 people were taken ill, with high fever, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting, 30 of whom are still interned in Barcelona and Girona hospitals, while a 63-year-old woman is in intensive care.

The incident happened on Monday. Spanish Health Authority sources state that the symptoms indicate an infection similar to salmonella. Eggs and their derivatives, like mayonnaise, are particularly dangerous in the summer heat, numerous cases of food poisoning taking place throughout southern Europe in the summer months every year.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru