CDC Report Indicates No Progress Preventing Salmonella During Past 15 Years

CDC Report Indicates No Progress Preventing Salmonella During Past 15 Years

According to a recently released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Salmonella infections have not decreased during the past 15 years. In fact the instances of Salmonella infections have actually increased by 10 percent in recent years.

The report was released earlier by the CDC in one of its “Vital Signs” reports, usually released first Tuesday of the month as part of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). This report is a summary of 2010 data from the agency’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network known as FoodNet. The report tracks the nine most common infections which are transmitted through foods, and reports on how those instances of infection are trending.

Salmonella is found in many different foods like meats, eggs, produce, and even processed foods, and can be challenging to control because it can be introduced in a variety of ways. At an estimated $365 million in direct medical costs each year at risk, the Food and Drug Administration has developed new rules for the egg industry to follow under its recently expanded regulatory authorities.

“Last summer, FDA began implementing new shell egg safety requirements that should significantly reduce illnesses caused by Salmonella enteritidis in eggs,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael R. Taylor. “The recently enacted Food Safety Modernization Act wisely mandates a comprehensive approach to preventing illnesses from many types of Salmonella and a wide range of other contaminants that can make people sick. The current outbreak of E. coli in Europe demonstrates the importance of the new law, and FDA is committed to implementing the new law as fully as possible within available resources.”

One positive note in from the report surrounded one form of E. coli bacteria. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157, according to the report have been cut nearly in half. The report also indicated that the overall rates of six foodborne infections have been reduced by 23 percent.

“Although foodborne infections have decreased by nearly one-fourth in the past 15 years, more than 1 million people in this country become ill from Salmonella each year, and Salmonella accounts for about half of the hospitalizations and deaths among the nine foodborne illnesses CDC tracks through FoodNet,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Salmonella costs hundreds of millions of dollars in direct medical costs each year. Continued investments are essential to detect, investigate, and stop outbreaks promptly in order to protect our food supply.”

Source – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES