The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report on foodborne illnesses in the United States from 2009 to 2015. The agency’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System received reports of 5,760 outbreaks, resulting in 100,939 ilnesses, 5,699 hospitalizations and 145 deaths. The data reportedly revealed that norovirus was the most common outbreak cause, while Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli caused 82 percent of hospitalizations and deaths.
Tag Archives CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced the addition of an emerging Bacillus cereus strain that causes anthrax-like disease to the HHS list of Select Agents and Toxins. “Bacillus cereus Biovar anthracis is a recently recognized, emerging pathogen[] that has all the virulence characteristics and threat potential of Bacillus anthracis, a Tier 1 select agent,” states the interim final rule, which takes effect October 14, 2016. “This organism is not currently on the HHS List of Select Agents and Toxins; we are proposing regulating this organism as a Tier 1 select agent because of its potential for misuse and its threat to public health and safety.” HHS defines a biovar as “a group of microorganisms that are genetically similar but differ from other members of the species by biochemical or genetic characteristics.” Isolated from gorillas and chimpanzees with anthrax-like illness,…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the latest statistics on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in 23 states and the District of Columbia, concluding that, in 2013, approximately 30 percent of surveyed adults reported drinking at least one SSB per day. Sohyun Park, et al., “Prevalence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Adults—23 States and the District of Columbia, 2013,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Feb. 26, 2016. Relying on data gathered via Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) telephone survey, the study refined previous questionnaires to solicit information about the consumption of sweet tea and energy drinks in addition to regular soda and sweetened fruit beverages. The results evidently indicate that “at least once daily SSB intake was most common among persons aged 18–24 years (43.3%), men (34.1%), blacks (39.9%), persons who reported being unemployed (34.4%), and persons with less than a high school education (42.4%).” Across…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that two E. coli outbreaks linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. “appear to be over,” but the agency has not identified a food source for the outbreaks. “The epidemiologic evidence collected during this investigation suggested that a common meal item or ingredient served at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants was a likely source of both outbreaks,” the agency said. “When a restaurant serves foods with several ingredients that are mixed or cooked together and then used in multiple menu items, it can be more difficult for epidemiologic studies to identity [sic] the specific ingredient that is contaminated.” Meanwhile, Chipotle faces a joint investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Justice into a 2015 norovirus outbreak in one of its California restaurants. The company has reportedly been served an additional subpoena requiring it to produce documents on company-wide…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a newly interactive iteration of its Foodborne Outbreak Online Database Tool. The resource allows users to search data by year, state, location of food preparation, food and ingredient, and implicated germ. The information captured in the database comes from CDC’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, which tracks data on outbreaks caused by enteric bacterial, viral, parasitic, and chemical agents reported by local, state and territorial health agencies. CDC estimates that one in six Americans becomes sick annually from consuming contaminated foods and beverages. See CDC News Release, October 20, 2015. Issue 582
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would add certain highly pathogenic avian influenza strains (HPAIs) to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) list of select agents and toxins. In addition to listing any influenza virus that contains hemagglutinin (HA) from the Goose Guangdong/1/96 lineage, including wild-type viruses, CDC seeks to categorize as a Tier 1 select agent any virus containing HA from the HPAI H5N1 lineage “that were made transmissible among mammals by respiratory droplets in a laboratory.” As directed by the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, HHS maintains “a list of biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety.” Tier 1 designates those agents and toxins that “present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published research examining self-reported efforts to reduce sodium intake among U.S. adults in 26 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Jing Fang, et al., “Sodium Intake Among U.S. Adults — 26 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2013,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 3, 2015. Based on data from 180,067 participants, the results evidently show that across all locations, “the median prevalence of taking action to reduce sodium intake was 51%,” while “the median prevalence of receiving health professional advice to reduce sodium intake was 22%.” The study authors also report that the Southern U.S. Census Region had the highest proportion of respondents that took action or received a professional recommendation to reduce sodium intake. “The data in this report highlight the opportunity to increase the proportion of health care professionals who advise their patients to reduce sodium…
Amid ongoing recalls of Blue Bell Creameries’ ice cream products, a plaintiff has filed a lawsuit alleging that the company is liable for his severe listeriosis infection he says stems from the consumption of several varieties of contaminated products. Shockley v. Blue Bell Creameries Inc., No. 15-425 (W.D. Tex., filed May 19, 2015). The plaintiff alleges that Listeria monocytogenes infected his blood, then brain, resulting in permanent brain damage and leaving him near death. The complaint documents the recent Listeria outbreak subsequently linked to Blue Bell’s products by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Blue Bell utterly failed to design and implement sanitation and safety programs that would have prevented the sort of infestation and contamination that occurred at its facilities over a period of years,” the plaintiff asserts. He seeks compensatory, economic and punitive damages for strict product liability, negligence, misrepresentation and breach of warranties. Issue 566
After examining the sodium content of packaged food products sold throughout the United States in 2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers have reported that “fewer than half of selected food products met Food and Drug Administration [FDA] sodium-per-serving conditions for labeling as ‘healthy.’” Alexandra Lee, et al., “Sodium Content in Packaged Foods by Census Division in the United States, 2009,” Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice and Policy, April 2015. Using the 2009 Nielsen ScanTrak data to identify all branded products sold in grocery stores with annual sales of $2 million or more, the study focused on products sold in three U.S. Census divisions—South Atlantic, East North Central and Pacific—representing approximately 50 percent of the U.S. population. These three regions also “reflect places with high (South Atlantic), medium (East North Central) and low (Pacific) prevalence of hypertension.” The authors then identified “products in the 10 food categories that…
Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published a study claiming that many infant and toddler foods sold in the United States contain too much sodium or sugar. Mary Cogswell, et al., “Sodium and Sugar in Complementary Infant and Toddler Foods Sold in the United States,” Pediatrics, March 2015. Relying on a database of 1,074 infant and toddler foods and drinks that sourced nutrient information from a commercial database, manufacturer websites and major grocery stores, the study reported that “the majority of toddler cereal bars/breakfast pastries, fruit, and infant/toddler snacks, desserts, and juices contained ≥1 added sugar,” that is, at least one added sugar on the ingredient list. In addition, the study’s authors noted that 41 of 79 infant mixed grains and fruits contained ≥1 added sugar, while 35 of these products derived more than 35 percent of their calories from sugar. They also concluded that…
