Foodborne Illness

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Foodborne Illnesses are diseases caused by contamination of food by a number of different pathogens. Common pathogens include: Noroviruses, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter. According to the CDC, "Many outbreaks result from food being contaminated when it is being prepared or served by a food worker with unwashed or improperly washed hands. Scientific evidence shows that preventing illness begins with the basics. Wash your hands thoroughly, with soap, before and after handling food. It can prevent illness and even death."^[1] However, sometimes outbreaks of foodborne illness are large scale when contamination occurs on a farm or in a large processing plant and then the contaminated food is shipped to stores and/or restaurants around the country. An example of such a large-scale outbreak is the 2011 outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe, which originated on one farm in Colorado.

Outbreaks

Between 1998 and 2009, the CDC tracked 14,090 different outbreaks of foodborne illness in which two or more people got sick. They resulted in a total of 286,836 illnesses, 9694 hospitalizations, and 207 deaths. The average outbreak caused 20 illnesses and 1 hospitalization. However, most outbreaks were smaller, as the median outbreak caused only 8 illnesses.^[2]

In over 40 percent of the outbreaks tracked, the food responsible was never identified. These unsolved outbreaks resulted in 40.4% of illnesses, 26.5% of hospitalizations, and 24.6% of deaths.

Largest Outbreaks

Between 1998 and 2009, the CDC tracked 33 outbreaks that sickened more than 500 people. (They found a total of 434 outbreaks that sickened 100 or more people.)

The 10 largest outbreaks between 1998 and 2009 include:^[2]

1. A May 2006 outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni from pasteurized milk in a California prison that sickened 1644 people.
2. A 2008 multistate outbreak of Salmonella in peppers that sickened 1500 people. (The large size of this outbreak is likely due to the difficulty health officials had in tracking down the cause of the disease. Thus, it was a well-publicized outbreak that might have led to more reported and confirmed illnesses than would otherwise be the case, and the outbreak continued for a long time before the source was found.)
3. An April 2006 Colorado outbreak of Norovirus that sickened 1200 people.
4. A January 2003 outbreak of Shigella sonnei in Texas that sickened 964 people.
5. A September 2002 outbreak of Clostridium perfringens in an Illinois prison that sickened 950 people.
6. A June 1998 outbreak of E. coli in Illinois linked to macaroni salad and potato salad that sickened 916 people.
7. A May 2007 outbreak of Shigella flexneri from tomatoes in a New York restaurant that sickened 886 people.
8. A November 2003 outbreak of Clostridium perfringens in corn served at a Louisiana prison that sickened 880 people.
9. An April 2005 outbreak in a California prison that sickened 872 people.
10. A January 2001 outbreak of Norovirus in a Tennessee restaurant that sickened 811 people.

Deadliest Outbreaks

In 2011, an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe caused 25 deaths, making it more deadly than any on the list below.^[3]

The 10 deadliest outbreaks between 1998 and 2009 include:^[2]

1. An October 1998 multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in hot dogs that killed 21 people.
2. A September 2008 multistate outbreak of Salmonella in peanut butter that killed 9 people.
3. A July 2002 mulistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in sliced turkey that killed 8 people.
4. A January 2003 outbreak in Florida from fried rice in a restaurant that sickened and killed 7 people.
5. A May 2000 multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in sliced turkey that killed 7 people.
6. A February 2004 outbreak of Rotavirus in a Pennsyvania nursing home that killed 6 people.
7. An August 2006 multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in spinach that killed 5 people.
8. A November 2001 outbreak of Salmonella in a Texas prison that killed 4 people.
9. A May 2000 outbreak in a Florida from pizza in a restaurant that killed 3 people.
10. A June 2007 Massachusetts outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in pasteurized milk that killed 3 people.