Foodborne Illnesses Remain Consta...(number of infections it wasn't significa...),Health

Tauxe said, "2006, of course, was the year of large outbreaks related to spinach and shredded lettuce, and 2007 was marked by a number of ground beef recalls."

Comparing statistics from 2007 to 2004 to 2006, the incidence of infections from campylobacter, listeria, shigella, vibrio, and yersinia did not drop significantly, he said.

The number of cryptosporidium infections increased, but that was probably due to better reporting rather than an actual increase in the number of infections, Tauxe said.

The findings came from the CDC's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network -- FoodNet -- which monitors foodborne disease in 10 states. The report findings were published in the April 11 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

In 2007, they were total of 17,883 confirmed cases of foodborne infections, according to the report. The greatest number of cases was seen for salmonella, with an incidence rate of 14.92 per 100,000 people. Campylobacter infections were the next most common infection, with an incidence rate of 12.79, per 100,000 people. Next were shigella infections, with an incidence rate of 6.26 per 100,000 people.

The rates of infections were particularly high among children under 5 years of age, according to the report. Risk factors for these bacterial illnesses in young children include riding in a shopping cart next to raw meat or poultry, going to a day-care center, visiting or living on a farm, and having a pet turtle or other reptile, according to the report.

More information

For more on foodborne illness, visit the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: April 10, 20
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