The Foodborne Disease Surveillance program is responsible for the surveillance and investigation of foodborne outbreaks and enteric diseases within the District of Columbia.
Illness caused by foodborne pathogens is a major public health concern. Incidence of foodborne illness and their various etiologic agents are based on surveillance data of nationally notifiable diseases and outbreaks reported by state health departments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC estimates that each year 76 million Americans get sick from foodborne diseases. Of these, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year. From 1998-2002, 6,647 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in the United States. These outbreaks caused a reported 128,370 persons to become ill. These figures highlight the importance of foodborne disease as a public health concern; however, the actual incidence, morbidity, mortality, and financial burden of foodborne diseases remain unknown.
Investigation of a Foodborne Illness is three-fold process including an Epidemiologic investigation, Environmental investigation, and Laboratory Investigation.
View additional information about foodborne disease outbreak.
Physicians: To report a foodborne illness to the Department of Health, please complete the Communicable Disease Case Report Form [PDF], include a copy of the laboratory results and fax to (202) 442-8060.
Residents: To report an illness associated with a food or a restaurant, contact the Division of Epidemiology- Disease Surveillance and Investigation at (202) 442-5865.
For additional information about Foodborne Diseases, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
For information on food recalls that involve meat, poultry, or processed egg products, please visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. To view a list of all other food recalls in the US, please visit the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.
View a complete list of disease factsheets offered by the Division of Epidemiology- Disease Surveillance and Investigation.