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Foodborne illness proves dangerous
and costly Source of Article: http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/20090223/NEWS01/902230312 ·
Using the
new model, the best estimate of the annual cost of foodborne
illness in Robert Scharff, researcher with the
Ohio Agricultural Research and The importance of the method and results for policymakers is
clear. "In a time of tightening budgets the ability to conduct thorough
evaluations demonstrating the value of programs that may be targeted for cuts
is crucial," Scharff said. In the past, estimates of the cost of foodborne
illness have been based on a method that focuses on a small subsample of
"important" pathogens, Scharff said,
accounting for fewer than 4 million of the estimated 76 million cases of foodborne illness Americans experience each year. These
estimates have not typically included important social costs such as the lost
quality of life an afflicted individual experiences from pain and suffering. "Anyone who has ever suffered from a foodborne
illness knows that pain and suffering should be included when estimating
these costs," Scharff said. "Undergoing
several days of intestinal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea is
clearly a cost for the individual afflicted with such symptoms." Scharff, who is also an assistant
professor of consumer sciences in the College of Education
and Human Ecology, says the new model offers several advantages which
includes all 26 distinct foodborne pathogens
reported in the landmark 1999 analysis, "Food-related illness and death
in the United States" published in the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention's journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases, as well as those caused
by unknown agents. It also estimates distinct costs for specific pathogens, with
higher costs for serious foodborne illnesses such
as listeria and botulism, and lower costs for
milder diseases, caused by pathogens such as Campylobacter or Norwalk-like
viruses. The value of having this level of detail is highlighted by the
current Salmonella outbreak. Each illness from Salmonella imposes a cost of
just over $4,800, as opposed to a cost of almost $1,700 for the average case
of foodborne illness. Consequently, Scharff explained, health officials choosing between
allocating resources to a program targeted at reducing illnesses from
Salmonella and one that reduces illnesses from Bacillus cereus (at a value of
$350 per case) would only be able to justify allocating these resources to
the latter if they could demonstrate that they could avert nearly 14 times as
many cases of Bacillus cereus. It provides a template that can be used to estimate costs on a
state-by-state basis. The template accounts
for differences in consumption patterns, food safety practices and climate,
all of which affect the incidence of foodborne
illness, as well as state-specific costs of medical care (including
medication, doctor visits and hospitalization) and lost quality of life and
productivity (including lost work days, pain, suffering and deaths) associated
with foodborne illness. |
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