Study Examines COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Foodborne Enteric Diseases in Canada
A recent study aiming to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cases of foodborne enteric diseases in Canada found a considerable reduction in cases in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
For the period of March–December 2020, weekly counts of laboratory confirmed cases of Salmonella, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes were obtained from Canada’s National Enteric Surveillance Program (NESP). The study also collected epidemiological information from PulseNet Canada regarding the suspected source of illness for clusters of cases identified by whole genome sequencing (WGS). Next, using the data, researchers calculated incidence ratios for each pathogen and compared the data against the pre-pandemic period.