The Rarest Type of Food-Borne Outbreak Is the Deadliest

Following a recent E. coli outbreak that shut down 43 Chipotle restaurants and sickened dozens, the CDC has issued a statement warning Americans that an increase in food poisoning outbreaks that cross state lines has been reported.

The reason that a relatively high proportion of deaths come from this small percentage of outbreaks is that the multistate outbreaks tend to involve more lethal types of bacteria contamination, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said at a news conference today (Nov. 3).

13, there have been more than 150 hospitalizations reported, with Arizona, California, Oklahoma and Texas each reporting one death. Although just a fraction of the more than 4,000 incidents reported during that period, the outbreaks accounted for 34 percent of hospitalizations and 56 percent of deaths.

Based on available data, patients aged 1 to 99 years (median age, 17 years) developed symptoms between July 3 and September 29.

He added that new gene sequencing tools and advanced epidemiology techniques are used to quickly track down the source of food poisoning outbreaks.

USA foodborne disease outbreaks up to 24 this yearAround 24 multistate foodborne disease outbreaks occur each year in the U.S. These foodborne diseases tend to be caused by the germs from salmonella, listeria and E. coli.

Medical Research: Are these outbreaks occurring more frequently? The most deadly was the 2011 listeria outbreak caused by contaminated cantaloupe, which killed 30 people. Finding these germs can help trace contaminated foods to the original source, the report said.

“Americans shouldn’t have to worry about getting sick from the food they eat”, Friedmen said. The agency said it expects to finalize additional rules soon regarding the growing and packaging of produce, as well as requirements that imported foods meet US safety standards. “As we look toward the future, USDA will continue to work with FDA, CDC, industry, and the states to advance our science-based approach to food safety”, said Phillip Derfler, USDA Deputy Administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Vital Signs is created to provide the latest data and information on key health indicators – cancer prevention, obesity, tobacco use, alcohol use, HIV/AIDS, motor vehicle safety, health care-associated infections, cardiovascular health, teen pregnancy, asthma, and food safety.