According to New Zealand press reports, more than 100 sheep have died in Southland in one of the worst outbreaks of Salmonella in more than a decade.  At least 40 farms in Gore and Tapanui have been affected and local vets are worried that the disease could spread to farmers.  VetSouth veternarian Donna Hamilton says the strain of Salmonella – Salmonella hindmarsh – hasn’t been seen in the area for more than a decade.

“Sheep actually can harbor the bacteria in their intestinal system normally, so the bacteria is always about, but it’s not always causing disease,” Ms. Hamilton says.

Across the Tasman Sea, Australian press reports that the number of suspected Salmonella cases has reached 100, in the largest outbreak of its kind ever seen in the ACT.  It forced the Canberra and Calvary hospitals to activate their emergency response protocols on Tuesday evening, but by Wednesday afternoon, that had been cancelled as the number of people presenting at the emergency departments finally began falling.

Fifteen people had been hospitalized by Wednesday evening, with many more having been observed in emergency departments.  The outbreak was confined to people who ate at the newly opened Copa Brazilian Churrasco in Dickson on Saturday and Sunday.

The two outbreaks are not related.