000724 Fewer Americans Suffer From Foodborne Illness

Based on FoodNet surveillance data from 1997 to 1999, illness from the most common bacterial foodborne pathogens declined nearly 20%. This decline represents at least 855,000 fewer Americans each year suffering from foodborne illness caused by bacteria since 1997.

FoodNet is a joint effort by HHS, state health departments, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to capture a more accurate and complete picture of trends in the occurrence of foodborne illness. Within HHS, the network involves the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"These are encouraging findings and represent a true reduction in the number of Americans suffering from foodborne illness," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "However, foodborne disease remains a substantial public health burden. We must be diligent in our efforts to expand food safety programs, and I urge Congress to support our initiatives, especially CDC's PulseNet system and FDA's food safety programs and improved surveillance detection methods."

Between 1998 and 1999, the data show a 25% decline in the number of E. coli O157:H7 infections, a serious disease which often leads to diarrhea and kidney failure, particularly in small children. The data also show a 41% drop in the incidence of Shigella infections and a 19% decline in the number of illnesses caused by Campylobacter, the most common bacterial foodborne pathogen in the United States.

"The reported declines in foodborne disease, particularly in Campylobacter and E.coli O157:H7, are encouraging and suggest that our prevention efforts are paying off," said Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman.

The data show also that Salmonella Enteritidis, a serotype of Salmonella infection often associated with egg consumption that has been a major food safety problem since the 1980s, declined 7% from 1998-1999. However, several large outbreaks of salmonellosis of other serotypes traced to produce vehicles such as unpasteurized orange juice, imported mangos, and raw sprouts resulted in an overall increase in Salmonella infections in 1999. The FDA has taken steps to reduce the incidence of Salmonella infections through strategies such as juice regulations, import sampling and detentions, and guidance of production of raw sprouts.

To address the issue of Shigella infections, the FDA has increased sampling and detention of imported produce, issued guidance on good agricultural practices, and supported educational outreach programs in foreign countries.

At FoodNet sites, public health officials frequently contact microbiology laboratories to identify the number of illnesses caused by different foodborne pathogens. Special case-control studies are conducted to identify the major risk factors for particular diseases. Data are electronically submitted to CDC for analysis.

FoodNet sites began collecting data in 1996. Currently, sites are located in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon. In 2000, selected counties in Tennessee will be added to the FoodNet surveillance area bringing the FoodNet population to approximately 29 million persons, 11% of the U.S. population (1998 estimates). Colorado will join FoodNet surveillance in 2001.

Since 1993, the Clinton Administration has significantly expanded food safety programs, increasing consumer protections to ensure that the U.S. food supply remains one of the safest in the world. Some improvements include new safety standards for meat, poultry and seafood products, and better surveillance for foodborne diseases through FoodNet. In 1998, to improve detection and investigation of outbreaks, CDC launched a collaborative interagency initiative called PulseNet that uses DNA fingerprinting to characterize foodborne bacteria. Today, the more than 35 laboratories in CDC's PulseNet network can fingerprint E. coli O157:H7 strains in less than 24 hours, and share the results electronically with others in the network.

In addition, in December 1999, President Clinton unveiled a comprehensive egg safety action plan which identifies public health practices in the farm-to-table continuum to reduce eggs as a source of Salmonella illness. The goal of the plan is a 50% reduction in egg-associated Salmonella Enteritidis illness by 2005 and the eventual elimination of eggs as a source of Salmonella Enteritidis infection.

CDC also released a summary report characterizing more than 2,700 foodborne outbreaks in the United States from 1993 to 1997. The outbreak data provide information on specific foods that cause outbreaks and complement FoodNet data, which focuses on monitoring individual illnesses. Salmonella Enteriditis accounted for the largest number of outbreaks, primarily related to eggs. However, more recent data provided by FoodNet indicates that Salmonella infection often associated with egg consumption declined 7% from 1998 to 1999. Substantially reducing foodborne disease outbreaks is a goal of Healthy People 2010.

The HHS fiscal year 2001 budget includes $149 million for the Administration's food safety initiative, an increase of $40 million over fiscal year 2000. Of this increase, $10 million will go to CDC to expand its award-winning PulseNet system for identifying disease-causing bacteria. FDA will use the other $30 million to inspect 100% of high-risk food establishments, support its role in the HHS/USDA egg safety initiative, and to expand the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, the primary objective of which is to provide data on antimicrobial susceptibility in targeted organisms from human and animal populations. This $40 million increase complements a $27.5 million increase in fiscal year 2001 for USDA food safety initiatives.

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