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CDC: 1,270 U.S. food borne outbreaks
Source
of Article: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/06/11/CDC-1270-US-food-borne-outbreaks/UPI-80021244744225/
ATLANTA, June 11 (UPI) -- There were 1,270 reported U.S. food
borne disease outbreaks in 2006, resulting in 27,634 illnesses and 11
deaths, federal officials said.
The report published in the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report said that among the
confirmed outbreaks, 54 percent were caused by norovirus and 18 percent
were caused by Salmonella.
Food borne outbreaks of norovirus occur most often when
infected food handlers do not wash their hands well after using the toilet.
Food borne outbreaks of Salmonella occur most often when foods that have
been contaminated with animal feces are eaten raw or insufficiently cooked,
the report said.
Analysis was done on data from the 243 outbreaks in which
a single food commodity was identified and reported to CDC. Twenty-one
percent of all outbreak-associated cases involved poultry, 17 percent
involved leafy vegetables
and 16 percent involved fruits or nuts.
Dr. Patricia M. Griffin of the CDC, cautions that while
the report is useful, only a small proportion of food borne illnesses occur
as part of recognized outbreaks. Moreover, some outbreaks are not detected,
investigated, or reported because many states lack the resources to perform
the work.
The report is available online at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.
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