The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is narrowing the scope of a key program that tracks foodborne illnesses, no longer requiring surveillance of six of them.
The program is now only required to track infections of salmonella and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, a CDC spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO on Tuesday, dropping six other illnesses. Those include campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio, and yersinia.
“Fortunately, other systems at CDC conduct national surveillance for infection with these pathogens,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “Narrowing FoodNet’s reporting requirements and associated activities will allow FoodNet staff to prioritize core activities.”
The spokesperson also noted that salmonella and shiga toxin-producing E coli are “among the top 5 contributors to foodborne illnesses and related hospitalizations and deaths in the United States.”
