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Volume 18, Number 10—October 2012
CME ACTIVITY - Research

Epidemiology of Foodborne Norovirus Outbreaks, United States, 2001–2008

Aron J. HallComments to Author , Valerie G. Eisenbart, Amy Lehman Etingüe, L. Hannah Gould, Ben A. Lopman, and Umesh D. Parashar
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (A.J. Hall, V.G. Eisenbart, A. Lehman Etingüe, L.H. Gould, B.A. Lopman, U.D. Parashar); University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA (V.G. Eisenbart); and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA (A. Lehman Etingüe)

Main Article

Table 1

Estimated annual number and rate of reported illnesses associated with foodborne norovirus outbreaks by age, sex, and outcome, United States, 2001–2008

Characteristic Estimated annual outbreak-associated illnesses*
No. (%) Rate†
Age group, y

<5

215 (2) 10.6

5–19

1,827 (18) 30.3

20–49

4,923 (48) 39.8

>50

3,359 (33) 37.7
Sex

F

5,819 (56) 39.0

M

4,505 (44) 31.3
Outcome

Health care provider visit

1,247 (12) 4.3

Hospitalization

156 (1.5) 0.5

Death

1 (0.01) 0.002
Total Illnesses 10,324 (100) 35.2

*Proportions of illnesses by age, sex, and outcomes among outbreaks for which such data were reported were extrapolated to all reported foodborne norovirus outbreak–associated illnesses.
†Reported rate per 1,000,000 person-years calculated by dividing the number of illnesses by the corresponding US intercensal estimate at the study period midpoint (July 2004) (23).

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Page created: September 17, 2012
Page updated: September 17, 2012
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The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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