About Foodborne Illness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million foodborne illness cases occur in the United States every year. This amounts to one in four Americans becoming ill after eating foods contaminated with such pathogens as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter, Shigella, Norovirus, and Listeria.
- Q. What is foodborne illness and what are the symptoms?
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Foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning, can be caused by a variety of microbes such as bacteria,…
- Q. If my child or I have diarrhea, should I see a doctor?
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You should see a health care provider if your diarrhea lasts more than a day or two, if you have severe…
- Q. What are the causes of diarrhea?
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Diarrhea – loose, watery stools occurring more than three times in one day – is a common problem.…
- Q. What is the stomach flu?
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Many people use the term “stomach flu” or “24-hour flu” to describe symptoms of nausea, vomiting,…
- Q. My doctor said I had “acute gastroenteritis”. What does this mean?
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Technically, gastroenteritis refers to irritation of the stomach and intestines. Health care providers…
- More Stool Cultures Needed to Catch More Food Poisoning Cases
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million foodborne illness cases occur in the United States every year. This amounts to one …
- FDA Has Blocked (for a while) 2,964 Farm Fish Shipments From People's Republic Of China
- Something called the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission last week held a hearing on “Chinese Seafood: Safety and Trade Issues.” The big talker was …
- Two-Day Food Labeling Workshop Being Held In Lansing In July
- The Institute for Food Laws & Regulations (IFLR) at Michigan State University will present a Food Labeling Workshop on July 23-24, 2008, at The James B. …
On an annual basis, approximately 325,000 people are hospitalized with a diagnosis of food poisoning, and 5,000 die. The annual dollar costs of foodborne illnesses—in terms of medical expenses and lost wages and productivity—range from $6.5 to $34.9 billion (Buzby and Roberts, 1997; Mead, et al., 1999).
While most foodborne illness cases go unreported to health departments, nearly 13.8 million food poisoning cases are caused by known agents—30% by bacteria, 67% by viruses, and 3% by parasites (Mead, et al., 1999).
In 2005, the CDC, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report that showed important declines in foodborne infections due to common bacterial pathogens in the previous year (MMWR, April 15, 2005). The report’s authors found that from 1996-2004, the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 infections decreased 42 percent. Reports of Campylobacteriosis decreased 31 percent, reports of Cryptosporidiosis dropped 40 percent, and reports of Yersiniosis decreased 45 percent. The incidence of Salmonella infections dropped 8 percent, but illness attributed to only one of the five most common strains declined significantly. The incidence of Shigella did not change significantly from 1996 through 2004; Vibrio infections increased 47 percent.
Foodborneillness.com describes seven of the most commonly recognized bacteria and viruses that cause food poisoning. In addition to a general description of each pathogen, we have provided information on the symptoms and risks of each kind of foodborne illness, as well as how they are detected as the cause of infection, and measures you can take to prevent contracting each type of bacterial or viral food poisoning.
Frequently asked questions about food poisoning, such as “What should I do if I think I have food poisoning?” and “What does it mean if I have bloody diarrhea?” are answered on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
If you are seeking legal help for a foodborne illness claim, contact the Marler Clark attorneys, either by filling out our online form for victims of foodborne illness, or by calling (866) 770-2032.
