Food Borne Illness Rates Remain High: CDC Report

Overall food poisoning rates for 2013 remain constant with previous years, according to a recent United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

According to the report, while salmonella outbreaks seen a decline this past year, rates of illnesses due to Vibrio bacteria and Campylobacter have been on the rise in recent years, with other more commonly known bacteria, such a E.coli, still making slow gains in infection rates.

The CDC has estimated that approximately one in every six U.S. citizens get food poisoning annually, with about 100,000 people having to go to the hospital. And it is likely that these statistics won't be changing any time soon.

According to data on incidents and trends of food borne infection published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the number of Salmonella infections, which still is the most common of food-borne illnesses in the U.S. has seen a nine percent drop in prevalence over the last three years.

That great news, but also according to the report, the most important factor, which is infection rate, has not seen a drop that would be a cause for celebration.  The infection, which causes severe nausea and abdominal pain for weeks on end, is still a huge threat to the food industry, and officials remain highly vigilant for cases of the disease.

What's worse, Vibrio bacteria infections have seen a 75 percent increase in prevalence since 2008. Vibrio infections most commonly result from eating raw or undercooked shellfish and only account for one present of food poisoning outbreaks in the U.S. However, according to the CDC report, unlike with Salmonella and most other bacterial infections, the infection rate of Vibrio appears to be on a rise, explaining for its increased prevalence. Whether or not the bacteria is becoming more infections remains unclear, but it may be that the prevalence of the bacteria in shellfish in general is simply on a rise, increasing the number of exposures American shellfish eaters see annually.

Campylobacter infections have also been on the rise, increasing by 13 percent since 2008. According to the report, it is suspected that this infection remains largely unreported in the U.S., as some instances of infection can appear to be nothing more than a temporary stomach bug.

Still, between this infection and the increased rate of Vibrio outbreaks, the CDC reports that food poisoning is as dangerous and common as ever in the U.S.

The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report was published on April 18.