Data on Foodborne Disease Outbreaks during 2009-2010
During January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010, public health departments reported 1,527 foodborne disease outbreaks, resulting in 29,444 cases of illness, 1,184 hospitalizations, and 23 deaths.

• Among the 790 outbreaks with a laboratory-confirmed illness, norovirus was the most commonly reported infection, accounting for 42% of outbreaks; followed by Salmonella, with 30% of outbreaks.
• Of the 29,444 outbreak-related illnesses, 1,184 (4%) resulted in hospitalization. Salmonella caused the most outbreak-related hospitalizations (49%), followed by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (16%), and norovirus (9%).
• Outbreaks caused by some pathogens were particularly severe. For example, Listeria outbreaks resulted in the highest proportion of persons hospitalized (82%), followed by Clostridium botulinum (67%), and paralytic shellfish poisoning (67%).
• Among the 23 deaths, 22 were linked to bacteria (9 Listeria, 5 Salmonella, E. coli O157, 3 Clostridium perfringens, and 1 Shigella), and 1 was linked to norovirus.

Identifying Common Foods and Germs
The pathogen-commodity pairs (germs and foods) responsible for the most outbreak-related illnesses, hospitalizations, and death in 2009-2010 were:

• Illnesses
  • Salmonella in eggs (2231 illnesses)
  • Salmonella in sprouts (493 illnesses)
  • Salmonella in vine-stalk vegetables (422 illnesses)
• Hospitalizations
• Salmonella in vine-stalk vegetables (88 hospitalizations)
• E. coli O157 in beef (46 hospitalizations)
• Salmonella in sprouts (41 hospitalizations)
• E. coli O157 in beef (3 deaths)
• Salmonella in pork (2 deaths)
• Listeria in dairy (2 deaths)
• Deaths

A large outbreak of Salmonella infections in 2010 caused nearly 2000 illnesses. Among the outbreaks attributed to a food vehicle composed of ingredients from only one of 17 defined food commodities, the commodities most often implicated were beef (13%), dairy (12%, nearly all unpasteurized), fish (12%), and poultry (11%)