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Four Irish people have been infected with salmonella as part of an outbreak which has already taken a life. A person who had serious underlying health complications died in a British hospital. The death was confirmed UK's Food Standards Agency.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is investigating the outbreak which it says could be linked to watermelons. The outbreak of salmonella has spread across Europe, with 35 cases in the UK and 15 in Germany since last December.

The UK numbers include one in the North. The FSAI said that while it is investigating the outbreak, which has affected four people here, it believes the infections have come to an end.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that the FSAI says: "Information from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to the FSAI confirms that the last Irish case occurred at the beginning of January 2012. All indications suggest that there is no longer contaminated product on the market".

A Salmonella infection causes diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever and usually resolves within a week. The FSAI has advised anyone concerned that they may have eaten an infected watermelon to consult their doctor.