CDC Says Most Food Poisoning is not Reported

In a recent issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that the main causes of food-related disease outbreaks in the year 2006 - the latest timespan for which there are statistics - were salmonella and norovirus. These two diseases are regularly reported in the media related to product recalls or restaurant closures, because they often affect more than one person at a time. However, many people don’t bother to report to authorities when they get sick after eating. Ian Williams, head of the CDC’s OutbreakNet group, says that only a tiny number of food-borne sicknesses are even recognized by the public, much less reported to authorities.

Williams says that because most cases are not related to widespread outbreaks, individual people rarely report them. As a result, the CDC is never involved in finding out what caused unreported sicknesses, so there is no way to be sure that the source is identified and corrected. Outbreaks allow the CDC to view the larger picture when there are numerous people involved. But with individual cases, there needs to be more emphasis on identifying the source, analyzing the causes, and correcting problems to prevent future illnesses.

The CDC’s report says that disease can be better controlled by pinpointing causes such as improper handling of food and raw meats, and unsafe food storage practices. Better surveillance and more thorough investigations can help control food-borne diseases. If authorities can help correct problems before they start, then there will be fewer cases of illness, reported or otherwise.

Noroviruses are viruses that can cause serious gastroenteritis, which usually manifests itself as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and pain in the abdomen. Food-borne sicknesses such as these usually occur when food handlers who are already sick forget to wash their hands well after they go to the bathroom. Samonella bacteria can cause similar symptoms as well as bloody stools and fever. Salmonella outbreaks usually occur when foods contaminated with feces from animals are not cooked long enough. The types of food most commonly associated with food poisoning illnesses include poultry, leafy vegetables, nuts, and fruits.

The CDC’s report states that sometimes outbreaks are not recognized or investigated in time because many US states do not have the resources or funding available to research illnesses. However, if incidents are reported in time to perform research, scientists would be able to increase their understanding of the epidemiology of food poisoning illnesses so they can identify problems in the nation’s food safety systems. If public health systems are enhanced and increased at local, state, and federal levels, the report says, it would be easier and faster to detect and investigate food poisoning outbreaks before more people become sick or die.