On the weekend of 11-12 May 2013 in the Canberra suburb of Dickson, almost everyone who ate at a recently opened restaurant contracted salmonella food poisoning.

The outbreak affected approximately 140 people, with many presenting at emergency departments and more than 15 requiring hospitalisation. Hospitals in the Canberra region had to call in extra staff to deal with the numbers of patients and activate emergency response plans normally used in the event of winter influenza.

The symptoms of salmonella, including diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever, were found to have been caused by raw egg in potato salad mayonnaise. The set price all-you-can-eat meat and side dishes meant almost all diners were exposed to the bacteria.

Home page feature image: Eggs in carton by Rae Allen (Flickr)