Fighting foodborne pathogens: A tool for the battle

The AMA's updated primer on the diagnosis and management of these illnesses offers CME credit and resources to share with patients.

Editorial. May 24/31, 2004.

We've all seen the headlines. Just last year, an outbreak of hepatitis A worked its way through Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The pathogen was ultimately traced to contaminated green onions imported from Mexico and served at a chain restaurant -- but not before significant harm was done. In Pennsylvania alone, 555 illnesses were linked to the onions, and three people died.

Other high-profile outbreaks have occurred in the past two years -- whether involving an onslaught of norovirus on cruise ships or intentionally contaminated beef sold in Michigan. But even these news stories do not capture the breadth of the foodborne disease problem. Statistics offer a more complete vision.

An estimated 76 million Americans -- more than the tally of those who get the common cold -- are affected every year, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. The cost to the U.S. economy is set between $8 billion and $23 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity. The very young, elderly and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk. And estimates indicate that about 3% of all cases result in secondary long-term conditions.

That's why the American Medical Association has focused on trying to aid physicians in their efforts to identify foodborne illness. After all, it is often action by doctors that spurs the detection and rapid containment of outbreaks.

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