Girl, 3, left 'lifeless' after seemingly 'contracting salmonella from Kinder Egg'

11 April 2022, 22:41 | Updated: 11 April 2022, 23:10

A "heartbroken" mum has claimed her three-year-old daughter was left looking "dead behind the eyes" after she seemingly contracted salmonella from a Kinder Surprise egg.

Charlotte Elizabeth Wingfield issued a warning on Facebook to other parents after her daughter Brooklyn-Mai fell ill whilst at nursery, with her temperature soaring to 39C.

It comes after thousands of Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs were recalled from shelves due to fears of a salmonella link, with more than 60 cases detected - mainly in children - in the UK.

Ms Wingfield claims her toddler was left "lifeless" after eating a Kinder Surprise egg last weekend.

"She slept for 21 out of the following 24 hours & then kept falling asleep as she was doing things," she wrote on Facebook.

"Her temperature spiked to over 39° & I struggled to disturb her. I knew something wasn't right & spoke to the gp who ran through a list of what it could be alongside a hospital visit."

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Following a hospital visit, Ms Wingfield said her daughter was diagnosed with salmonella and has been unwell ever since.

"Pleaseee check your chocolate dates & throw them if they fit the recall description," the mother pleaded on Facebook.

"My god, she's been poorly a couple of times but this has been something else. In 96 hours, she has been awake for all of about 12-14 of them & when she has been awake, it's like she's not been here at all.

"She's been completely dead behind the eyes & so lifeless, it's been absolutely heartbreaking to see my usually fiery, adventurous & very active baby girl be the complete opposite of everything she usually is."

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Salmonellosis develops after ingesting salmonella bacteria, symptoms usually take between 12 and 72 hours to develop.

It is a common bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract, with humans becoming infected most frequently through contaminated water or food.

Typical symptoms of infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and sometimes vomiting and fever.

Last week, a Belgium factory producing Kinder-branded chocolates was shut down after an investigation into salmonella outbreaks in Europe and the US.

In Britain, there have been 67 confirmed cases, mostly among young children.

A recall's been extended to cover all Kinder chocolates, including eggs, made at the factory - regardless of the best before dates.

All Kinder products made at the site between June and the present date are being recalled, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said on Friday night.

Chocolate firm Ferrero said it is suspending operations at its plant in Arlon, which it said will only reopen "once certified by the authorities".

Ferrero said it acknowledged "internal inefficiencies, creating delays in retrieving and sharing information in a timely manner" and said these had "impacted the speed and effectiveness of the investigations".