Sarina Locke of ABC News reports that raw and runny eggs are the strongest link to soaring salmonella food poisoning cases in Western Australia, compared to NSW, where the number has fallen.

In 2017 salmonella cases in WA were more than double the five-year average, according to the latest WA Health Department’s OzFoodNet report.

Eggs emerged as the key culprit for several salmonella cases in 2017:

• a sloppy egg casserole at a child care centre, affecting 24 children and staff 
• home prepared chocolate mousse with raw eggs made seven guests sick
• a cafe serving aioli and mayonnaise made with raw eggs

To be safe from salmonella, Better Health Victoria, said eggs needed to be cooked until they are hot all the way through.

As meaningful as the Brits’ piping hot recommendation. Use a thermometer, especially for a casserole. Use pasteurized eggs if you’re going to serve the dish raw.

The Western Australian Department of Health’s OzFoodNet 2017 report has conducted an investigation on a cluster of salmonella typhimurium found between January 2015 and June 2017.

“Egg dishes have been the implicated source food in 17 of 18 point source outbreaks,” the OzFoodNet report stated.

“They included raw egg desserts, fried/poached eggs and, in 13 of these outbreaks, a specific egg producer was identified, that supplied the eggs for the implicated dishes.”