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OzFoodNet - foodborne illnesses in Australia 2003

Foodborne disease is a significant health issue both in Australia and overseas. OzFoodNet (established in 2000 – Food Safety & Hygiene, July 2004) estimates that each year approximately 5.4 million people become ill as a result of contaminated food. In addition, foodborne illness results in an estimated 17,770 hospitalisations and 125 deaths each year. The majority of people do not seek medical attention and do not appear in official notification statistics.

OzFoodNet has recently published Foodborne disease investigation across Australia: Annual report of the OzFoodNet network, 2003 in Communicable Diseases Intelligence 28 2004 359.The report is also available at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-2004-cdi2804f.htm

The Annual Report states that in Australia, doctors and laboratories are required to notify cases of certain diseases to State and Territory health departments. In 2003, there were 23,250 reported cases of potentially foodborne diseases reported. The majority of these were bacteria that cause gastroenteritis. The two most commonly reported causes of gastroenteritis were Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria that were responsible for 67 percent and 30 percent of these reports respectively.

Listeriosis is another important foodborne disease caused by infection with Listeria monocytogenes that can result in meningitis, septicaemia or abortion. While Listeria infections are uncommon, they pose particular risks to pregnant women, aged people,and those with weakened immune systems. In 2003, there were 72 listeriosis cases notified, with twelve infections in pregnant women or their foetuses. This was slightly higher than the historical reports average of 60 cases per year.

The rates of notified foodborne infections in Australia are similar to those reported in New Zealand, but considerably higher than rates reported for the United States. Reasons for this could include differences in laboratory testing between both countries or higher level of exposure to these infections in Australia.

In 2003, contaminated food in Australia was responsible for 99 outbreaks of gastroenteritis affecting 1,686 people, including 105 who were hospitalised and 6 who died. The types of contaminated food causing these outbreaks included fish, prawns, salad, chicken, tofu, fried rice, pizza, raw eggs and tahini. Significantly, frozen oysters from Japan were responsible for three outbreaks of Norovirus infection (Food Safety & Hygiene, July 2004). The most common place where outbreaks occurred was restaurants (34 percent), in private homes (20 percent) and events catered by professional companies (14 percent). These settings, along with aged care facilities, are high risk for serious outbreaks of foodborne disease.

In view of the overall burden of illness and the serious risks concerning some foodborne infections, OzFoodNet's work will continue to be important for monitoring, investigating and responding to foodborne illness.

This article was contributed by OzFoodNet. For more information contact:
Martyn Kirk,Coordinating Epidemiologist,OzFoodNet,
Tel +61 2 6289 9010,martyn.kirk@health.gov.au