Man died 'after contracting salmonella from duck eggs bought at a country show'

Niptoon Tavakoli's family said he fell ill complaining of sickness and diarrhoea after consuming four of the eggs. He died in hospital two months later.

Lawyers representing his widow Cheryl said Niptoon, of Lindholme, Doncaster, became ill five days after cooking and eating the eggs he bought at Messingham Show in North Lincolnshire on June 2 2019.

An ambulance was called to his home, but it was decided not to take Niptoon to hospital.

On June 10 2019, he was taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary after paramedics were called again to his home.

Doctors found evidence of salmonella. Niptoon was admitted to intensive care. However, his condition continued to deteriorate and he died on August 12 2019.

Public Health England confirmed a second case of salmonella in the West Midlands with the same strain.

However an official from PHE told the BBC in 2019 that an investigation had established that the two cases ate duck eggs from the same trader who purchased them from a farm in the East Midlands, but the eggs had not been confirmed as the source of infection.

Mrs Tavakoli, 63, said Niptoon, who was stepfather to sons Andrew and Paul, was a wonderful man who loved his family.

He had worked in the catering industry and retail management for many years and was a "very good cook" who also loved hunting out antiques.

She said: “He often attended antique centres or fairs and loved studying old coins and history.

“Niptoon was always smiling and happy so seeing him so poorly and being unable to help him as his condition continued to deteriorate was terrible.

“While it may be more than two years since Niptoon’s death, the hurt and pain our family continue to feel is as strong now as it was then.

“We would do anything to have Niptoon back in our lives but we know that’s not possible. All we can hope for now is that we can at least get to the bottom as to why he died and if more could have done to help him."

Catherine Slattery, a specialist group actions lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said they had questions about the events that unfolded in the lead up to Niptoon’s death.

She said: “The effects of salmonella should never be downplayed. It’s an incredibly dangerous illness which can cause serious health problems or in the worst cases, death.

An inquest is due to start in Doncaster on Monday.

According to the NHS website salmonella is a bacterium which causes food poisoning. Most people recover without treatment, but people may need hospital care because of the fluid loss caused by the illness. On average, it takes from 12 to 72 hours for the symptoms to develop after swallowing an infectious dose of salmonella.