Foodborne disease surveillance in England and Wales 1984. Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre.

Foodborne disease surveillance in England and Wales 1984 Prepared by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre This annual review of food poisoning and salmonellosis and other acute foodborne disease is based on laboratory reports, reports of food poisoning outbreaks from medical officers for environmental health and environmental health officers, and statutory notifications and "otherwise ascertained cases" of food poisoning.Tables I-III are comparable with those ofprevious years, though table I this year includes reports from medical officers for environmental health and environmental health officers.A new table (table IV) includes incidents of campylobacter infection and foodborne infections and intoxications from other or unspecified causes not included in table I.The definitions of cases, outbreaks, sporadic cases, incidents, statutory notifications, and otherwise ascertained cases of food poisoning remain unchanged.'Laboratory reported cases A total of 15 312 cases of bacterial food poisoning and salmonella infection were reported by laboratories in 1984 (table I), only slightly above the 1983 total, compared with increases of about 20% a year for 1981-3.Statutory notifications of food poisoning rose by 8%, from 12 273 to 13 242, and otherwise ascertained cases by 36%, from 5462 to 7455.number of family outbreaks of salmonella was balanced by an 18% increase in the number of general outbreaks.An additional 83 salmonella outbreaks, mostly family outbreaks reported only by medical officers for environmental health and environmental health officers, accounted for 13% of the overall total.An outbreak of staphylococcal food poisoning due to lasagne imported from Italy was reported in February.Following a warning via the European Community's "food warning hot line" a public health warning was issued by the DHSS on the day the first reports ofillness in England and Wales were received by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre.Altogether 47 cases from 10 incidents were associated with this product.2