WASHINGTON,
Nov. 4, 2015 - Multistate outbreaks account for more than half of the deaths
from foodborne illnesses though they account for just 3 percent of the total
outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reports.
Millions
of U.S. residents become ill from foodborne pathogens each year and most
foodborne outbreaks occur among small groups of persons in a localized area.
However, because many foods are distributed widely and rapidly, and because
detection methods have improved, outbreaks that occur in multiple states and
perhaps span the entire country are being recognized with increasing frequency,
the report notes.
The CDC said
the 120 multistate outbreaks that occurred between 2010 through 2014 accounted
for 66 of 118 deaths from foodborne illnesses during the five-year period. The
multistate outbreaks resulted in 11 percent of the total foodborne illnesses
and 34 percent of the hospitalizations.
The CDC report
comes as the Food and Drug Administration is rolling out a rule setting the
first mandatory food-safety standards for produce growers. Fruits, vegetable
row crops, beef and sprouts were the foods most often implicated in the
multistate outbreaks.
The FDA submitted
the produce standards for publication in the Federal Register as well as two
other rules, for foreign supplier verification and third-party verification, an
agency spokeswoman says. FDA was required to develop the rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
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