AMA, CDC leading the fight against foodborne illness

Increased risk has triggered new efforts to educate physicians regarding this public health threat.

By Stephanie Stapleton, AMNews staff. Feb. 12, 2001.

Washington -- In recognition of physicians' key role in disease surveillance, the AMA last month released a tool to be used by primary care doctors and other health professionals to help them better recognize, diagnose, treat and report the increasingly common and critical problem of foodborne illness.

The guide, "Diagnosis and Management of Foodborne Illnesses: A Primer for Physicians," was developed by the AMA in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

Each year in the United States, an estimated 76 million people get sick as a result of foodborne pathogens. Of these, more than 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die.

These statistics trigger growing concern in the wake of societal changes. Americans' eating behaviors, international travel, cultural diversity and microbial adaptation have fueled the rise of new and emerging foodborne illnesses and created opportunities for existing culprits to expand their habitats. The primer is designed to help respond to current conditions and increase physician and patient awareness.

"When many of [us] were in medical school, we didn't even know that Cyclospora, resistant Salmonella, and some strains of E. coli existed," said AMA Trustee J. Edward Hill, MD. "It's clear that with these new challenges in mind, both the public and the medical profession must reexamine foodborne illness more closely. This is a critical public health issue that belongs on everyone's radar screen." [...]