Foodborne illnesses affect one in six Americans each year, according to recent statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Data collected by the CDC in 2011, estimate that 31 of the most common agents of foodborne disease found in foods in the United States cause 9.4 million illnesses, 55,961 hospitalizations, and 1,351 deaths each year.
The CDC reported that 90 percent of all foodborne deaths and hospitalizations were caused by seven known pathogens. Salmonella being the worst, causing 28 percent of deaths and 35 percent of hospitalizations.
“People expect food to nourish them, not to harm them”, says Christopher Braden, director of the CDC’s division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases. Braden added that scientists and government officials need to intensify their efforts to understand which pathogens are causing the most sicknesses and how they can be combated.
Food poisoning happens randomly, emphasizing the importance of a health insurance policy in case sickness suddenly strikes. The World Health Organization reports that environmental pollution, urbanization and the globalization of food trade are all factors that need to be addressed in order to improve food safety and reduce illnesses.
