Outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis gastroenteritis--California, 1993.

Foodborne infections cause an estimated 6.5 million cases of human illness and 9000 deaths annually in the United States. Salmonella is the most commonly reported cause of foodborne outbreaks, accounting for 28% of such outbreaks of known etiology and 45% of outbreak-associated cases during 1973-1987. During 1985-1992, state and territorial health departments reported 437 Salmonella enteritidis (SE) outbreaks (Table 1), which accounted for 15,162 cases of illness, 1734 hospitalizations, and 53 deaths. This report describes three SE outbreaks in California during a 4-month period in 1993.