Seven food poisoning pathogens cause almost 10 million illnesses, 53,000 hospitakizations and 1,000 deaths each year, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Major Pathogens, 2019, appears in the April issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The report looked at illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths caused by seven pathogens: Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, Listeria, Norovirus, Salmonella, and Toxoplasma gondii.
The CDC does this type of report periodically, the last time was in 2011.
Which Pathogens Caused the Most Illness Hospitalizations and Deaths?
Norovirus
Norovirus causes more than half of all food poisoning illnesses reported each year. The highly contagious virus causes diarrhea and vomiting that can last one to two days.
It can be spread through person-to-person contact, by consuming contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. It can survive on countertops or utensils for up to two weeks and resists many common disinfectants and hand sanitizers. And just a small amount of the virus can make someone sick. The amount of virus that fits on the head of pin, as few as 18 particles, is enough to make 1,000 people sick.
People who have Norovirus can transmit the disease for two days after symptoms resolve, so public health officials recommend that people stay home from school or work for 48 hours after the food poisoning symptoms resolve.
Norovirus was also the leading cause of hospitalizations, 22,400 a year, followed by Campylobacter 13,000 per year and Salmonella 12,500 a year.
Salmonella
Salmonella was responsible for the most fatalities, 238 each year, followed by Campylobacter with 197 deaths each year, and Norovirus, 174 each year.
Researchers looked at deaths attributed to specific Salmonella strains. The strains that caused the most fatalities were: Salmonella Enteritidis, (63), Salmonella Typhimurium (40), Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i- (26), Salmonella Newport (17), and Salmonella Javiana (5 ).
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