Foodborne and waterborne disease outbreaks

The repotting of foodborne and waterborne diseases in the United States began about 50 years ago when state and. territorial health officers, concerned about the high morbidity and mortality caused by typhoid fever and infantile diarrhea, recommended that cases of enteric fever be investigated and reported. The purpose was to obtain information about the role of food, milk, and water in outbreaks of intestinal illness as the basis for sound public health action. Beginning in 1923, the United States Public Health Service published summaries of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness attributed to milk. In 1938, it added summaries of outbreaks caused by all foods. These early surveillance efforts led to the enactment of important public health measures which had a profound influence in decreasing the incidence of enteric diseases, particularly those transmitted by milk and water.From 1951-through 1960 the National Office of Vital Statistics reviewed reports of outbreaks of foodborne illness and published summaries of them annually in Public Health Reports. In 1961 the Center for Disease Control (CDC), then the Communicable Disease Center, assumed responsibility for publishing reports on foodborne illness.For the period 1961-66 CDC discontinued publication of annual reviews, but reported pertinent statistics and detailed individual investigations in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).In 1966 the present system of surveillance of foodborne and waterborne diseases began with the incorporation of all reports of enteric disease outbreaks attributed to microbial or chemical contamination of food or water into an annual summary.Since 1966 the quality of investigative reports has improved primarily as a result of more active participation by state and federal agencies in the investigation of foodborne and waterborne outbreaks. In this report data from foodborne and waterborne disease outbreaks reported to CDC in 1976 are summarized.SUGGESTED CITATION: Center for Disease Control: Foodborne and Waterborne Disease OutbreaksAnnual Summary 1976. Issued October 1977.I. Introduction -- II. Foodborne disease outbreaks -- III. Waterborne disease outbreaks -- IV.Outbreaks on cruise ships and aircraft -- V. References -- VI. Articles on foodborne and watervborne disease outbreaks, 1976, taken from Morbidity and mortality weekly report.197