A summary of health outcomes: multistate foodborne disease outbreaks in the U.S., 1998-2007.

Multistate foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) pose a particular threat to public health. The study described in this article sought to describe the incidence and health outcomes of multistate FBDOs in the U.S. from 1998 to 2007. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) OutbreakNet Foodborne Outbreak online database was used to analyze FBDOs reported to and confirmed by CDC between 1998 and 2007. Univariate analysis and ANOVA were used to examine outcomes of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Over 100 multistate FBDOs occurred between 1998 and 2007, with a slight increase over time. Average illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths were 74.075 (SD = 106.24), 14.11 (SD = 23.23), and 0.826 (SD = 2.88), respectively. Vectors most often identified as the cause of the FBDOs were Salmonella (n = 57) and E. coli (n = 30), making up 81% of all multistate outbreaks. Policy makers and health officials need to reconsider the means by which industry and government coordinate response to outbreaks--particularly across jurisdictions--to ensure an efficient and seamless system of response, particularly in the case of multistate outbreaks.