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Food Safety Works Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network

SAFEFOOD NEWS - Winter/Spring 1999 - Vol 3 / No. 2

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Incidence of Foodborne Illnesses

Estimates of the magnitude of foodborne illness in the United States are imprecise at best. To help quantify, better understand, and more precisely monitor foodborne illness, since 1996 the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) has been actively collecting data on nine foodborne diseases in selected U.S. sites. In 1996, 10,600 cases of food-borne illness were reported for 9 pathogens in 7 states for an overall rate of 51.2 cases per 100,000 population. Nearly half of these were attributed to Campylobacter and another 28% to Salmonella. The data from 1997 and 1998 has shown a steady downward trend for reported cases caused by these 2 bacteria (from 23.5 to 21.7 cases/100,000 population for Campylobacter and 14.5 to 12.4 cases/100,000 for Salmonella. The decline may be reflecting random annual fluctuations; it may also reflect implementation of disease prevention efforts such as the mandated implementation of HACCP plans in meat and poultry processing plants. As a result, the overall reported rate of foodborne illness was projected to be 47.2 cases/100,000 in 1998.

While the decline in Salmonella and Campylobacter is good news for those of us in food safety education, the gains in other foodborne diseases indicate there is still much work to be done to further ensure a safe and secure food system. From 1997 to 1998 the number of cases of E. coli 0157 infection increased by 22%. Shigellosis increased by 13%. Vibro infection also increased from 1996 to 1997 and remained elevated during 1998. Listeriosis and yersiniosis remained unchanged from 1996 to 1998.

Source: Incidence of Foodborne Illnesses: Preliminary Data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet)-United States, 1998. MMWR 48 (09); 189-194.

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Updated Monday, August 29, 2011