Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network

Everybody loves food, everybody has to eat. Unfortunately not all food is safe for us to consume, even though it may appear to be safe. There are over 200 known microbial, chemical or physical agents that can cause illness when ingested(Acheson, 1999). There has to be regulations to keep the US and EU citizens healthy and protected from these harmful agents in our food. In the United States, this is where the FDA(Food and Drug Administration) the CDC(Centers for Disease Control) and the USDA(United States Department of Agriculture) step in. The FDA controls food and drug regulations, the CDC helps identify pathogen and diseases and the USDA deals with meat and poultry regulations. In the European Union(EU) a close FDA

Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from food being spoiled, not properly cooked, or contaminated. Examples of the organisms in these types of food are pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins, these organisms are caused by contaminants ranging from biological to chemical to physical. Biological contaminants such as pathogenic bacteria, can be caused by under cooked food, or can be spread by workers who do not properly wash their hands. Chemical contaminants are cleaning materials that have worked their way into the food during the cooking process, the cooling process, setting on the line or in any scenario where there are chemicals involved there is a risk of chemical contamination. Physical contaminants are any foreign objects that can get

Most of the foodborne illnesses are considered to be a major burden for the public health sector and therefore there are several ways in which they can be used in contributing toward increasing the cost of health care for most individuals in the society. Every year, the food related illnesses usually affect more than 48 million people in the US and that is the reason as to why they are considered to be dangerous for the overall society and economy at large. On a yearly basis, the food related illnesses contribute towards 3000 deaths of individuals in the US and also hospitalization of more than 128,000 individuals and this can lead to massive deaths of individuals in the society. A small percentage of these kinds of

Improper handwashing techniques, or absence of, leads to foods being contaminated causing serious health problems yearly. Foodborne illness is the sickness people experience after they have consumed food and beverages that have been contaminated by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites. When talking about victims with foodborne illness, the most common symptoms are nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting and so on. Foodborne illnesses can occur in outbreaks, which means that two or more people could be experiencing the same disease as a result of sharing or eating contaminated

Epidemiologists, those who study the origins and causes of disease, have been monitoring the epidemic of food borne illnesses since 1864 (CDC.int). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (heretofore refereed to as the CDC) approximately 1 in 6 Americans (roughly 48 million) contract food poisoning every year. Of the infected, on average food borne illness are responsible for 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths per year as reported in the CDC 's 2011 Emerging Infectious Diseases. The CDC has identified 250 diseases stemming from from viruses, parasites, and bacteria as well as chemical contamination which disseminates by natural and manufactured chemicals or by toxins produced by microorganisms. In the onslaught of food borne illnesses salmonelleosis and campylobacteriosis are the main culprits.

Foodborne illnesses continue to be a major issue in the United States. The reason these illnesses occur is due to contamination of food and drinks through hazardous pathogens.

Food safety tends to be a hot topic in Food safety these years. Though the meaning is similar, different from food security, food safety concentrates more on health aspects rather than sufficiency. So what is food safety? “Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness.” (AmercianPeanutCouncil, 2014) This prevents civils from severe health hazards and in this way is the food safety similar to the definition of food defense.

Approximately 48 million food poisoning and foodborne illnesses occur every year in the United States (U.S.)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2013). More than 250 germs, parasites, viruses, and chemicals are known to cause foodborne illnesses in the U.S. each year (CDC, 2013). Common types of contaminations can include dirt, hair, insect fragments, and antibiotics. Foodborne illness can cause temporary symptoms such as abdominal cramps, nausea, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting (FoodSafety.org, n.d.). More severe symptoms such as premature delivery, kidney failure, brain and nerve damage, and liver disease can occur if untreated or if contaminated foods are consumed in large quantities. All populations are susceptible to food

The movement of food and the spread of food borne illnesses such as e. Coli, salmonella, and mad cow disease are the results of mass food

Despite specific populations being at greater risk for ill health or mortality related to foodborne illness—advance-aged adults, pregnant women, children/infants, and persons with a weakened immune system secondary to a medical condition—all food consumers are susceptible to foodborne illness. Prior to inspection or regulatory requirements and food safety, many people became ill or died from unsanitary conditions, unclean food, and foodborne illness. According to the CDC, foodborne illness is estimated to be the cause of nearly 9,000 deaths each year as well as 6 to 81 million illnesses.

Foodborne diseases result from the ingestion of over 200 pathogens, chemicals, and parasites, which are contaminated in foods and food products at different points in the food production and preparation process. 1 The Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) is tracks foodborne diseases through reports from state and local health departments and various surveillance systems. Though there have been many methods of control and prevention within food safety laws, there are high chances of underreporting incidents of foodborne diseases. Foodborne illnesses can be severe or even fatal; milder cases are often not detected through routine surveillance.12 Medical professionals, health departments, and laboratories play key roles in identifying foodborne diseases and their sources and reporting them through surveillance systems. Also, some agents transmitted commonly through food (e.g., norovirus) are not monitored by certain surveillance systems because clinical laboratories do not routinely test for them. Most foodborne diseases can be prevented, and progress has been made in decreasing contamination of some foods and reducing illness caused by pathogens, but much remains to be done.4

Foodborne diseases is characterized by the World Health Organization as diseases, more either infectious or poisonous in nature, brought about by pathogens that enter the body through the ingestion of food. Foodborne diseases are a serious and worldwide issue. The WHO evaluates that overall foodborne and waterborne diarrhea ailments taken together murder around 2.2 million individuals every year. Foodborne sicknesses can start from a wide assortment of various foods and be brought about by a wide range of pathogenic organisms that have polluted them at some part of the food chain, in the middle of homestead and fork. Foods that are most much of the time connected with foodborne diseases incorporate meat, fish and poultry. The making of the food standards agency in April 2000 was the UK Government 's reaction to the high public also, political prowl of food safety issues as of late. In its Key Arrangement 2001–2006, one of the Organization 's needs was to 'lessen foodborne sickness by 20% by enhancing food security directly through the food chain ' (Food Standards Agency, 2001).

Food poisoning- is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. It is not contagious and people usually get better on their own within in a few days. Children should be sent home for rest and return when they are feeling better.

Reducing the risks of food borne illness is to find out what is causing it. Origins of food borne illness are the bacteria or viruses contained in food. They accumulate after the food is assimilated causing illness or infection. Bacteria that cause food borne illness are everywhere so you have to be very careful. To maintain our food safe we can: keep it clean, keep it isolated, cook it, distribute it and store it. Washing your hands before dealing with food prevents food borne illness as well. Before you buy your product at the store check it very well for any problems. Making sure your area where you are preparing your food is well cleaned. The utensils you use to cook or eat with should be thoroughly cleaned. Being aware that the food you are cooking is thoroughly cooked.

In developed country consumers are aware about the way of process, production and distribution of food and food products. They are increasingly demanding the producers to ensure the safety and quality of the products. Thus, increased demand of consumers for fresh, natural and safe food pressed the processors to maintain sanitary and phyto-sanitary quality of their produces. Effective cleaning and thorough sanitation are the way to prevent contamination of food products by microorganism. However, in modern practice good manufacturing and hygienic practices and application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points principles in the production processes are the key implemental factors considered by the food producers to ensure the quality of their products (US FDA, 2004).