CDC Data & Statistics | Feature: Incidence of Foodborne Illness, 2009

Incidence of Foodborne Illness, 2009
During this holiday season, CDC is highlighting foodborne illness data. Whether attending or hosting parties, please keep food safety in mind.



Chart: Changes in the incidence of selected foodborne infections, U.S., 2009. Percent change compared with 1996-1998. STEC O157 (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli): 41% decrease; Salmonella: 10% decrease; Listeria: 26% decrease; Campylobacter: 30% decrease.The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) is the principal foodborne disease component of CDC's Emerging Infections Program (EIP). FoodNet is a collaborative project of the CDC, 10 state health departments (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Foodborne diseases monitored through FoodNet include infections caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia, and the parasites Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora. In 1996, FoodNet surveillance began in Minnesota, Oregon, and in selected counties in California, Connecticut, and Georgia. Since then the surveillance area has expanded to include the states of Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and selected counties in California, Colorado, and New York. In 2009, the FoodNet surveillance area covered a population of 46 million persons, or approximately 15% of the United States population.

FoodNet conducts active surveillance for foodborne diseases and related epidemiologic studies designed to help public health officials better understand the epidemiology of foodborne diseases in the United States. FoodNet also provides a network for responding to new and emerging foodborne diseases, monitoring the burden of foodborne diseases, and identifying the sources of specific foodborne diseases. Most importantly, FoodNet surveillance provides the data necessary for measuring the progress in foodborne disease prevention.

To estimate changes in incidence of laboratory-confirmed infections in 2009 compared with the average annual incidence in 1996-1998, a main-effects, log-linear Poisson regression (negative binomial) model is used. The model accounts for site-to-site variation and changes over time in the size of the population under surveillance in FoodNet.

In comparison with the 1996–1998 period, rates of infection in 2009 were lower for Shigella (55% decrease), Yersinia (53% decrease), STEC O157 (41% decrease), Campylobacter (30% decrease), Listeria (26% decrease), and Salmonella (10% decrease); rates were higher for Vibrio (85% increase).

Consumers can reduce their risk for foodborne illness by following safe food-handling and preparation recommendations, and by avoiding consumption of raw or undercooked foods of animal origin such as eggs, ground beef, and poultry; unpasteurized milk; and raw or undercooked oysters.

Food preparers should follow the easy lessons of "Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill":

Clean - Wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards before and after contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs to avoid spreading bacteria when preparing food.

Separate - Use different cutting boards for meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables and keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs apart from foods that won’t be cooked.

Cook – Use a food thermometer - you can't tell if a food item is done by how it looks.

Chill - Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees or below to keep bacteria from growing and chill leftovers and takeout foods within 2 hours.

Everyone should also wash hands after contact with animals and their environments.



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CDC Data & Statistics | Feature: Incidence of Foodborne Illness, 2009