Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks — United States, 2009–2015 | MMWR

Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks — United States, 2009–2015 | MMWR

Report: Surveillance for Foodborne 
Disease Outbreaks

A new MMWR report, “Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks — United States, 2009–2015,” draws from 5,760 outbreaks reported to CDC’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System from 2009 through 2015. These outbreaks accounted for 100,939 illnesses, 5,699 hospitalizations, and 145 deaths.

Out of all outbreaks, 5,583 were single-state, but the 177 multi-state outbreaks were responsible for 11% of illnesses, 34% of hospitalizations, and 54% of deaths. Although only a small subset of illnesses are associated with recognized outbreaks, data from outbreak investigations provide insight into the foods and pathogens that cause illnesses and the settings and conditions in which they occur.

• Norovirus and Salmonella were the most commonly reported causes of outbreaks.
• Fish, dairy, and chicken were the most commonly implicated foods in outbreaks.
• Chicken, pork, and seeded vegetables were responsible for the most outbreak-related illnesses.