Public health officials in the United Kingdom are investigating an outbreak involving a rare type of Salmonella that has sickened 25 people, including 13 young children.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the last reported patient fell sick in March.

Overall, 25 confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul have been reported with 19 in England, two each in Northern Ireland and Wales, and one in Scotland. Five people have been hospitalized.

There are six cases in the North West of England, four in the West Midlands, three in the South West, two in the East of England, and one each in East Midlands, the North East, London, and the South East. No ill people have reported travel outside the UK before getting sick.

All confirmed cases were linked through routine surveillance as genetically related through Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).

Sample dates are from Feb. 20 to March 4. Patients range in age from less than 1 to 88 years old with a median age of 5. Half of those sick are younger than 5 years old. Sixteen patients are female and nine are male.

Salmonella Saintpaul is an uncommon serovar in the UK. It was previously associated with an outbreak in 2023 linked to imported cantaloupe melons that affected more than 90 people. There is as yet no evidence that cantaloupe is the source of the current outbreak.

The UKHSA said given the high proportion of children sick and clinical severity in some patients further investigations were ongoing to find the source of the outbreak.

Gauri Godbole, deputy director, Gastrointestinal infections at UKHSA, said: “UKHSA is investigating a small outbreak of Salmonella and no cases have been identified since March 2025. Gastrointestinal bacteria, such as Salmonella, can be spread from person to person as well as from food, so anyone with diarrhea or vomiting should wash their hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and avoid handling food or preparing food for others wher possible. Please avoid returning to work or sending unwell children to school or nursery until at least 48 hours after symptoms have cleared.”