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TO FOOD, HEALTH, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
CDC data show limited progress in reducing foodborne infections in
2013
ATLANTA, April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's food
safety grades are out and the results are mixed. CDC's annual report
card shows that foodborne infections continue to be an important
public health problem in the United States.
The rate of salmonella infections decreased by about nine percent in
2013 compared with the previous three years, bringing it to the rate
last observed in the 2006-2008 baseline period. But campylobacter
infections, often linked to dairy products and chicken, have risen 13
percent since 2006-2008. Vibrio infections, often linked to eating raw
shellfish, were at the highest level observed since active tracking
began in 1996; however, rates of infections caused by Vibrio
vulnificus, the most severe species, have remained steady. Rates of
the other foodborne infections tracked have not changed since the
period between 2006 and 2008.
"CDC data are essential to gauge how we're doing in our fight against
foodborne illness," said Robert Tauxe, M.D., M.P.H, deputy director of
CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases.
"This year's data show some recent progress in reducing salmonella
rates, and also highlight that our work to reduce the burden of
foodborne illness is far from over. To keep salmonella on the decline,
we need to work with the food industry and our federal, state and
local partners to implement strong actions to control known risks and
to detect foodborne germs lurking in unsuspected foods."
The data for the report card come from the Foodborne Diseases Active
Surveillance Network (FoodNet), a group of experts from CDC, ten state
health departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). In 2013, FoodNet logged just over 19,000
infections, 4,200 hospitalizations, and 80 deaths from the nine germs
it tracks. Young children were the most affected group for seven of
the nine germs that FoodNet tracks.
New standards for cut-up poultry parts and plans to modernize poultry
inspection are already in the works to increase the safety of
chicken. Regulations designed to help prevent food safety problems
have been proposed for many sectors of the food industry, including
produce farms, food facilities, food importers, food transporters, and
third-party auditors/certification bodies.
"Steps are underway to address many of the concerns raised in this
report, such as our Salmonella Action Planand other plans to modernize
food inspection," said Assistant Administrator for FSIS' Office of
Public Health Science David Goldman, M.D., M.P.H.. "As these actions
are being implemented, we are beginning to see progress, and I am
confident we will see further improvement over time."
"The latest information from FoodNet highlights the importance of
continuing preventive measures from the farm to the consumer," said
Stephen Ostroff, M.D., the FDA's acting chief scientist. "We are
making significant progress in implementing the FDA Food Safety
Modernization Act, having issued seven proposed rules addressing the
safety of produce, imported foods, and human and animal food
production and transportation. Full implementation of these rules will
help prevent these types of infections."
In addition to new regulations, everyone can help prevent food
poisoning. The food industry can require safer ingredients and can
implement preventative controls while restaurants and consumers should
follow safe practices in the kitchen. These include cooking meat to
proper temperatures, washing produce, preparing meat and fresh produce
on different surfaces. Consumers should know there are risks to
consuming unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized
milk, and raw oysters, especially for certain populations at risk for
foodborne illness. For more information on avoiding illnesses from
food, and knowing who is at greatest risk, please visit
www.foodsafety.gov.
About FoodNet FoodNet collects information to track rates and
determine trends in laboratory-confirmed illnesses caused by nine
pathogens transmitted commonly by food: campylobacter,
cryptosporidium, cyclospora, listeria, salmonella, Shiga
toxin-producing O157 and non-O157E. coli, shigella, vibrio, and
yersinia. Annual data are compared with data from the previous three
years (2010-2012) and with data from 2006-2008 to measure progress.
Since 2010, FoodNet has been tracking the increasing use of
culture-independent diagnostic tests instead of culture by clinical
laboratories for diagnosis of some bacterial enteric infection.
Replacement of culture challenges the ability to identify cases,
monitor trends, detect outbreaks, and characterize pathogens. FoodNet
is a network of experts from CDC, ten state health departments, the
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the FDA. FoodNet
surveillance covers 48 million people, encompassing about 15 percent
of the American population. FoodNet sites are located in Connecticut,
Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Tennessee, and
selected counties in California, Colorado, and New York.
SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
-0- 04/17/2014
/CONTACT: CDC Media Relations, (404) 639-3286, http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
/Web Site: http://www.foodsafety.gov
CO: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
ST: Georgia
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SU: SVY EXE
PRN
-- DC07800 --
0000 04/17/2014 17:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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