Foodborne Illness: An overview (Marc Thibault)

A major wave of outbreaks caused by food-borne diseases has hit the US throughout 2006. It has not been brought to our attention at the moment of this writing whether 2006 will break new record high like temperatures but a few indicators point in that direction.

For one the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program has been publishing all cases of outbreaks on board ships carrying over 100 passengers and cases in which 3% or more of passengers or crew reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. If 2005 saw a sharp decrease, 2006 has at least matched the alarming 2004 season of 36 outbreaks. Then, the number of produce-related outbreaks of food-borne illness has increased from 40 in 1999 to 86 in 2004. Over the past three months spinach, tomatoes and now possibly green onions have made the headlines and seem to confirm this trend. Finally, the cases of outbreaks reported by the media and the CDC seem to be hitting a larger number of people for a longer period of time as seen in Santa Rosa, CA and Tewksbury, MA.

Gastrointestinal illnesses, also known as upset stomach, are fairly common. The main pathogens are Salmonella, E-coli, Listeria, Campylobacter (all bacteria), Rotavirus and Norovirus. Diarrhea is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost working time, with about 25 days lost from work or school each year for every 100 Americans. 4 out of 5 children under 5 will develop Rotavirus. The overall cost has been estimated at $6.9 billion for bacterial infections (Department of Agriculture) and $1 billion for Rotavirus alone. Although no estimate have been publicly released, the economic impact of Norovirus can be estimated between $4 and $8 billion, as the CDC believes that over 50% of all food-borne diseases are due to this virus.

A very good illustration of the snowball effect of the spreading and consequences of food-borne pathogens can be seen here, in the Bay Area that has been plagued with cases of gastrointestinal outbreaks, most of them attributed to Norovirus. This is happening “back East” as well, following a very similar pattern. A December 16^th, 2006 Boston Globe article does a very good job at describing the chain reaction.

A significant proportion of gastrointestinal outbreaks have also been linked to bacterial pathogens present in fresh produce. A surge of these cases that indicates this is more than an epiphenomenon. In its December 10^th, 2006 edition, the Washington Post describes the actual situation as worrisome to say the least for two main reasons: a) the FDA and the states are the main regulatory authorities in regards to the safety of fresh produce (Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction over meat and diary products), and there is very little if no will to regulate that part of the industry (lack of resources and expertise). Second, if the presence of bacteria or virus in meat can be overcome by thorough cooking, it is different with fresh produce, which the American public consumes in greater quantity and more often than ever before.

The Royal Caribbean is one of many organizations that are factoring the costs of disease outbreaks that will require major clean-ups and delay sailing. The norovirus outbreak that was recently reported on board of Freedom of Seas will put the company’s earning per share down by about 3 cents.

This entry was posted on January 8, 2007 at 2:16 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.