E. coli Illness Declines

Illness from E. coli fell to a five-year low in the US last year with less than one person in every 100,000 affected by the bacteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The agency’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network identified 459 cases in ten states.

Infection of E. coli O157 is of particular concern because in 5-10% of cases the bacterium causes kidney failure, the agency said.

CDC has been tracking E. coli O157 since 1993, when the bacteria killed four children and affected more than 700 people who had eaten undercooked hamburgers from the Box fast-food chain in San Diego.

The report said Vibrio infections, derived from food, increased by 85% compared to the first three years of surveillance.