Source: MEATINGPLACE, 7/31/18


Between 2009 and 2015, 5,760 foodborne illness outbreaks resulted in 100,939 illnesses, 5,699 hospitalizations and 145 deaths in the U.S. and its territories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported.

The updated statistics, published July 27 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Surveillance Summaries, include:
• Among 2,953 outbreaks with a single confirmed etiology, norovirus was the most common cause of outbreaks (1,130, or 38 percent) and outbreak-associated illnesses (27,623, or 41 percent), followed by Salmonella with 896 outbreaks (30 percent) and 23,662 illnesses (35 percent).
• Outbreaks caused by Listeria, Salmonella, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were responsible for 82 percent of all hospitalizations and 82 percent of deaths reported.
• Among 1,281 outbreaks in which the food reported could be classified into a single food category, fish were the most commonly implicated category (222 outbreaks, or 17 percent), followed by dairy (136, or 11 percent) and chicken (123, or 10 percent).
• The food categories responsible for the most outbreak-associated illnesses were chicken (12 percent), pork (10 percent), and seeded vegetables (10 percent).
• Multistate outbreaks comprised only 3 percent of all outbreaks reported but accounted for 11 percent of illnesses, 34 percent of hospitalizations, and 54 percent of deaths.
• Among outbreaks reporting a single location of preparation, restaurants were the most common location (2,880, or 61 percent), followed by catering or banquet facilities (636, or 14 percent) and private homes (561, or 12 percent).

The public health agency noted in the summary that there is a continued need for food safety improvements targeting worker health and hygiene in foodservice settings to address norovirus infections, the leading cause of foodborne disease outbreaks. In addition, the CDC indicated that outbreaks caused by Listeria, Salmonella, and STEC remain important targets for public health intervention efforts, and that improving the safety of chicken, pork, and seeded vegetables should be a priority.

To read the full Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks — United States, 2009–2015 summary, visit the CDC MMWR page online.

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