Incidence of Foodborne Disease in the Netherlands: Annual Summary - 1980

Data on the incidence of foodborne disease in 1980 are presented. A total of 272 incidents affecting 1298 ill persons were analysed. In 64 incidents (337 cases), the etiology was established; micro-organisms appeared to be the main causative agents. Salmonella was responsible for 15 of these incidents (55 cases), Staphylococcus aureus for 6 (106), Clostridium perfringens for 8 (57), Bacillus cereus for 17 (88) and Campylobacter jejuni for 4 (9). Three episodes (4 cases) were caused by Yersinia enterocolitica , Escherichia coli and Vibrio sp. In 11 episodes (18 cases) illness resulted from ingestion of food contaminated with chemical substances. Cases of foodborne disease recorded by the Chief Medical Inspectorate included infections from Salmonella (6347) C. jejuni (531) and Y. enterocolitica (264). However, these could not be analysed further due to a lack of epidemiological information. About 60% of the outbreaks were associated with only two food items: meat and meat products (15%) and Chinese foods (44%). Mishandling of food in foodservice establishments resulted in about two-thirds of the incidents. It is supposed that there is an "over-reporting" of incidents involving Chinese foods from take-away restaurants, compared to episodes involving other foods from other locations, especially from private households. The role of viruses in outbreaks of foodborne gastroenteritis with an incubation period of more than 24 h is discussed.