990349 CDC Says Foodborne Illnesses Are Declining

Atlanta - Cases of foodborne illness caused by certain germs, including salmonella, declined sharply last year.

Although E. coli cases increased, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the decreases in some foodborne illnesses were attributable to changes in meat and poultry processing under a Department of Agriculture program implemented in January 1998.

The rate of salmonella infections, which are rarely fatal but can cause food poisoning, decreased 14 percent over the last two years - from 14.5 per 100,000 people in 1996 to 12.4 per 100,000 in 1998, the CDC said.

Rates of campylobacteriosis, the most widespread cause of food poisoning, rose from 1996 to 1997 but then declined 14 percent last year, from 25.2 per 100,000 in '97 to 21.7.

And cases of cryptosporidium, a parasite spread through human or animal feces that can be fatal in people weakened by AIDS, cancer or old age, dropped 7 percent.

The declines “suggest that the stepped up prevention efforts of the USDA and the FDA may be working,” said Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, head of the CDC. “However, the reasons for these declines are not fully understood and more study is needed.”

After declining 15 percent from 1996 to 1997, E. coli 0157:H7 infections increased 22 percent from 1997 to 1998. The reasons for the increase were unclear. E. coli infections have been linked to milk, drinking water, beef and lettuce, among other foods.

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