You Can Help Solve Foodborne Outbreaks

"Each year in the United States, about 1 in 6 people (or 48 million) get sick from a foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning. Many of these illnesses occur one by one, but some are part of outbreaks.

Finding the source of an outbreak is important because the contaminated food could still be in stores, restaurants, or kitchens and could make more people sick. You can help solve these outbreaks by providing vital clues to disease detectives. Keep reading to find out how you can help.

Three Ways You Can Help if You Have Food Poisoning

1. Talk to Your Healthcare Provider

Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you should be tested for a foodborne disease.

Healthcare providers can test your stool (poop) or blood, which can tell them if you have a foodborne disease. Many doctors are now using tests that give a quick diagnosis, often while you wait in the office. If this test shows that you have an infection with a notifiable disease like Salmonella or E. coli, the doctor or laboratory should order another test and send those results to the public health laboratory in your state. Results from this test, without information that identifies you, are added to a database at CDC that holds DNA fingerprints of foodborne germs. The database is part of PulseNet, a network of local, state, and federal public health and food regulatory agency laboratories. PulseNet looks for groups of similar foodborne germ DNA fingerprints for health officials to investigate. This information helps health officials determine if there is an outbreak where other people became sick from the same food item..."
Foodbourne illness