Spoiled holiday: festivities in Yakutia ended with an outbreak of salmonella

Rospotrebnadzor recorded an outbreak of salmonellosis among visitors to the main Yakut holiday, Ysyakh Olonkho, which took place in the Neryungrinsky district of the republic. According to the ministry, as of July 9, more than 50 people had applied for medical help. These are residents of Yakutsk, as well as villages of Tattinsky, Neryungrinsky, Megin-Kangalassky and Namsky districts. It is assumed that the source of the disease could be chicken cutlets. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Outbreak of salmonellosis in Yakutia in July 2025

Poor health overtook the visitors of the Yakut Ysyakh Olonkho festival a few days after the last celebration. Among the main symptoms that locals have sought medical help with are nausea, diarrhea, fever, and general malaise.

According to the republican department of Rospotrebnadzor, by July 9, 50 people with similar symptoms had already been admitted to an infectious diseases hospital. Among them are residents of Yakutsk, and people from the settlements of Tattinsky, Neryungrinsky, Megin-Kangalassky and Namsky districts. After passing the tests, it turned out that the cause of the malaise was salmonellosis, an acute intestinal infection caused mainly by the Salmonella bacterium of the same name.

According to the agency, people who sought medical help attributed their condition to the fact that they ate ready-made poultry dishes at the festival. It is possible that the chicken cutlets sold at the event could have been the source of the outbreak. Doctors explain that salmonellosis infection occurs when a person either eats raw eggs or eats meat infected with bacteria.

Why did salmonella appear in Yakutia?

According to media reports, one of the meat suppliers for the holiday was allegedly the Neryungrinsky poultry farm, the largest industrial enterprise in the region.

In 2024, during an unscheduled inspection at the enterprise's poultry farm, the republican department of Rospotrebnadzor identified pathogenic microorganisms in poultry meat and offal of broiler chickens, including Salmonella enteritidis var.jena. Then the arbitration court of Yakutia found the Saisary company, which owns a poultry farm, guilty under Part 2 of Article 14.43 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation ("Violation by the manufacturer or contractor of the requirements of technical regulations") and fined 150 thousand rubles.

As mentioned by the joint press service of the Yakut courts, the violations were as follows: lack of veterinary examinations of poultry for slaughter, bactericidal equipment, conditions for washing and handling inventory, as well as non-working ventilation. In addition, the employees did not undergo a medical examination, were not vaccinated, and were not certified in hygiene training programs.

The situation with those infected at the holiday is under the control of the Yakut Rospotrebnadzor, measures are being taken to search for and remove low-quality products from circulation, laboratory tests, as well as anti-epidemic measures in the outbreak centers.

A procedural check was also organized by the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Sakha. In the official Telegram channel, the Investigative Committee said that as part of the inspection, investigators are conducting inspections and interviews, establishing the circumstances and causes of the incident. It is expected that a decision will be made based on the results of the audit in accordance with the legislation.

Cases of mass poisoning in Russia in July

Earlier this week, a massive disease was reported in the Magaramkentsky district of Dagestan. Here, local residents, mostly children aged 3-14, contracted an intestinal infection after drinking water. The day before, the local Rospotrebnadzor announced that an epidemiological investigation had been launched into the registration of cases of intestinal infection among residents of four settlements.

The preliminary cause of the mass poisoning is drinking water from the Dzhepelsky water source. Rospotrebnadzor of the region later clarified that a bacterium of the genus Shigella, which is the causative agent of dysentery, was found in water samples. The Agency requests that precautions and recommendations be followed, including using only bottled or boiled water for drinking and cooking, and washing hands thoroughly.