[Foodborne disease outbreaks in 2006 report of the National Foodborne Disease Surveillance Network, China].
OBJECTIVE
To study the epidemiological characteristics of foodborne disease outbreaks in China in 2006.


METHODS
The foodborne diseases data collected by the National Foodborne Disease Surveillance Network in 2006 were analyzed.


RESULTS
There were 594 outbreaks of foodborne disease reported from 18 provinces in 2006, which caused illness in 13849 persons and death in 67. Among outbreaks for which the etiology was determined, microbial pathogens caused the largest percentage of outbreaks (48.3%) and the largest percentage of cases (63.3%), chemical agents, 24.8% of outbreaks and 15.5% of cases, and animal and plant agents, 23.5% of outbreaks and 17.7% of cases.


CONCLUSIONS
As discovered by the National Foodborne Disease Surveillance Network, microbial foodborne disease remains a major public health problem in China, and the awareness to report foodborne disease incidents need to be intensified in the future.
Chen
Yan
Y
Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China. yan_chen2000@yahoo.com.cn
Guo
Yunchang
Y
Wang
Zhutian
Z
Liu
Xiumei
X
Liu
Hong
H
Dai
Yue
Y
Tang
Zhenzhu
Z
Wen
Jian
J
D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance