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Burden of Foodborne Illnesses in the United States
December 10, 2024 – CDC is planning to publish updated estimates of the number of U.S. domestically acquired foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in 2019 caused by seven major pathogens. The pathogens are Campylobacter spp., Clostridium perfringens, invasive Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, Salmonella (nontyphoidal), Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Toxoplasma gondii.
Highlights
- 9.9 million: The number of domestically acquired foodborne illnesses that CDC estimates were caused by six pathogens: Campylobacter spp., C. perfringens, invasive Listeria, norovirus, Salmonella, and STEC.
- 53,300: The number of hospitalizations that CDC estimates resulted from domestically acquired foodborne illnesses caused by all seven pathogens.
- 931: The number of deaths that CDC estimates resulted from domestically acquired foodborne illnesses caused by all seven pathogens.
- Norovirus, Campylobacter spp., and Salmonella: The pathogens that CDC estimates caused the most domestically acquired foodborne illnesses.
- Salmonella, Campylobacter spp., norovirus, and invasive Listeria: The pathogens that CDC estimates caused the most domestically acquired foodborne illnesses resulting in death.
Knowing the burden of disease – or how many foodborne illnesses occur – provides us with a better understanding of an important public health problem. CDC provides estimates for two major groups of foodborne illnesses, known pathogens and unspecified agents.