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Incidence and Impact of Foodborne Illness

ByDonald L. Noah, DVM, DACVPM
Reviewed/Revised Dec 2022

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 33 million years of healthy lives are lost globally each year because of eating unsafe food, and this number is likely an underestimation. See WHO's Estimating the Burden of Foodborne Diseases.

For the global estimates, WHO assessments include 31 foodborne hazards causing 32 diseases: 11 diarrheal disease agents (1 virus, 7 bacteria, 3 protozoa), 7 invasive infectious disease agents (1 virus, 5 bacteria, 1 protozoon), 10 helminths, and 3 chemicals. Together, the 31 global hazards caused approximately 600 million foodborne illnesses and 420,000 deaths in 2010. The most frequent causes of foodborne illness were diarrheal disease agents, particularly norovirus and Campylobacter spp. Foodborne diarrheal disease agents—particularly nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica (NTS)—caused approximately 230,000 deaths. Other major causes of foodborne deaths were Salmonella Typhi, Taenia solium, hepatitis A virus, and aflatoxin. The global burden of foodborne disease by these 31 hazards was 33 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2010; 40% of the foodborne disease burden was among children under 5 years old. Worldwide, 18 million DALYs were attributed to foodborne diarrheal disease agents, particularly NTS and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli.

In the US, foodborne diseases are not generally reportable, so their burden likely is grossly underestimated. Contributing to this underestimation is that many foodborne illnesses lack the severity, duration, and specific diagnosis required for definitive identification and intervention. The CDC estimates that foodborne pathogens cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths each year in the US. (See CDC's Foodborne Germs and Illnesses.)

In an effort to maintain awareness of foodborne disease events and trends, CDC conducts the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which monitors the incidence of nine foodborne pathogens in ten US cities, covering approximately 15% of the American population. See, for example, Preliminary Incidence and Trends of Infections with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food—Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, 10 U.S. Sites, 2015–2018.

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