Zoonoses in Europe: In 2024, Outbreaks Often Originated on Our Plates

The EFSA-ECDC annual report shows an increase in foodborne infections and confirms the urgent need for a “One Health” approach. Campylobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria : behind these names, familiar to microbiologists, lie the main zoonoses prevalent in the European Union. The “European Union One Health 2024 Zoonoses Report,” published jointly by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), makes an unambiguous statement: infections of animal and food origin remain a major threat to European public health. In 2024, Member States reported 168,396 cases of campylobacteriosis—accounting for nearly two-thirds of all reported zoonoses—and 79,703 cases of salmonellosis. In addition, there were 11,738 infections caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and 3,041 cases of listeriosis, a less common disease but one with a high case fatality rate among the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and pregnant women. For these four major infections, the trend has been upward over the past five years, despite decades of progress in food safety and veterinary control.  

Don’t forget foods of non-animal origin

The number of foodborne illness outbreaks has also increased compared to 2023, with more people falling ill and more hospitalizations, even though deaths have declined slightly. The data consistently point to the same high-risk combination: Salmonella and egg-based products. But the report highlights a less obvious fact: foods of non-animal origin, particularly fresh or processed vegetables, are associated with the highest number of deaths in outbreaks under strong suspicion, serving as a reminder that the “cold chain” and hygiene are not limited to meat and dairy products. For European agencies, these figures make a strong case for a genuine “One Health” approach. Controlling zoonoses is not just a matter for emergency departments or hospital laboratories, but involves the entire chain: livestock farming conditions, responsible use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine, slaughterhouse inspections, food processing and distribution, consumer behavior, and more. At a time when warnings about antimicrobial resistance are mounting, every preventable foodborne illness outbreak serves as a reminder: European health security begins long before the hospital—often in the fields, in the barn… or even in our kitchens.