CSPI data show twice as many food outbreaks linked to eating out
Food from restaurants was associated with almost twice the number of disease outbreaks and more than double the illnesses as food prepared at home, according to data compiled by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a food safety watchdog.
The CSPI report examined 3,933 foodborne disease outbreaks from its database that occurred from 2002 through 2011 and sickened 98,399 people. Of those outbreaks, 1,610 involved restaurants and sickened 28,570 people. That compares with 893 outbreaks linked to private homes, which sickened 12,980 people.
The locales with the next-highest totals were the workplace, with 313 outbreaks and 7,643 illness, and banquet halls or catered events, with 224 outbreaks and 10,035 illnesses.
"Unfortunately, fewer and fewer outbreaks were solved by public health officials over the 10-year period, leaving a lot of important information undiscovered in the data," CSPI said in a news release.
The group also found that of 104 outbreaks linked to milk, 70% were caused by raw milk, even though less than 1% of consumers drink raw milk. "Consumers should avoid raw milk, and lawmakers should not expand its availability," said CSPI senior food safety attorney Sarah Klein.
CSPI also noted that the number of outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dropped 42% from 2002 to 2011, which was due at least in part to public health budget cuts, the center contends. "Underreporting of outbreaks has reached epidemic proportions," said CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith DeWaal.
Apr 7 CSPI news release
Apr 7 CSPI full report
CDC issues alerts for polio in Equatorial Guinea, Iraq
The CDC yesterday issued travel alerts for new polio cases in Equatorial Guinea and Iraq. The alerts for both countries were classified as level 2 of 3: "Practice enhanced precautions."
The CDC, citing new information from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), said a polio case in Equatorial Guinea was in the country's Centro Sur Province, close to its border with Cameroon, a country that is battling its own polio outbreak. The case is the first in Equatorial Guinea since 1999, the CDC said in the alert.
"Because of the risk of cross-border transmission, CDC recommends a one-time booster dose of polio vaccine for fully vaccinated adults who are traveling to Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon to work in health care facilities, refugee camps, or other humanitarian aid settings," the agency said.
The Iraqi case was first reported by the media on Apr 6 and has been genetically linked to wild poliovirus causing an outbreak in adjoining Syria, according to a New York Times article yesterday. As with the situation in Equatorial Guinea, the CDC recommends full polio vaccination for all travelers to Iraq, as well as a one-time booster.
The CDC said the Iraqi polio case was in a suburb of Baghdad and is the country's first since 2000. The GPEI said the Equatorial Guinea case was confirmed on Jan 28 and the Iraq case on Feb 10.
Apr 7 CDC alert on Equatorial Guinea
Apr 7 CDC alert on Iraq
Apr 7 New York Times story
Most recent GPEI information
