title: Estimating the burden of foodborne disease, South Korea, 2008-2012.
abstract: Estimating the actual occurrence of foodborne illness is challenging because only a small proportion of foodborne illnesses are confirmed and reported. Many studies have attempted to accurately estimate the overall number of cases of foodborne illness, but none have attempted to estimate the burden of foodborne disease in South Korea. This study used data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), a public health surveillance system in South Korea, to calculate the number of cases and hospitalizations due to 18 specific pathogens and unspecified agents commonly transmitted through contaminated food between 2008 and 2012 in South Korea while accounting for uncertainty in the estimate. The estimated annual occurrences of foodborne illness were 336,138 (90% credible interval [CrI]: 258,379-430,740), with inpatient stays (hospitalizations), outpatient visits (foodborne disease infections), and patients' experiences (without visiting physicians) accounting for 2.3% (n=7809 [90% CrI: 7016-8616]), 14.4% (n=48,267 [90% CrI: 45,883-50,695]) and 83.3% (n=280,062 [90% CrI: 201,795-374,091]), respectively. Escherichia coli, including enterohemorrhagic E. coli, caused most illnesses, followed by nontyphoidal Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, hepatitis A virus, and norovirus. These results will be useful to food safety policymakers for the prevention and control of foodborne pathogens in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Food and Nutrition, Kunsan National University , Gunsan, Jeonbuk, South Korea .
authors.forename: Myoung Su
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yong Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Soon Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki Hwan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Gyung Jin
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Bahk
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D054324:Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D059022:Food Safety; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D029322:Norovirus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010045:Outpatients; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000472:pathogenicity