State sees dramatic rise in salmonella

Last month, authorities announced federal charges against officials of a south Georgia peanut processor linked to a 2008-2009 salmonella outbreak that sickened 700 people nationally and killed nine.

The state was linked to another national outbreak in 2007, when salmonella from ConAgra Foods in Sylvester, the maker of Peter Pan peanut butter, sickened more than 600 people.

State and federal health officials don’t know why Georgia’s rate of reported salmonella infections jumped by almost half from 2000 to 2011. The number of reported cases, not adjusted for population growth, jumped even more: by 77 percent.

Those increases are at odds with national figures, which show little significant change in the incidence of salmonella over the same period.

A state official suggested several possible reasons for Georgia’s poor performance. It could stem from “better detection mechanisms, the improper handling of food, or even the warmer climate experienced here in the southern states,” said Mary Kathryn Yearta, spokeswoman for the state Agriculture Department.

But food safety watchdogs saw different causes: a food production culture that stresses profits over safety, creating the need for greater regulation and enforcement.

Salmonella is the most prevalent food-borne illness, sickening an estimated 1 million people a year and killing about 400, according to the CDC. The agency estimates that for every confirmed case of salmonella, 29 more cases go unreported. Young children, elderly persons, and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness from the infection.

In addition, Georgia routinely ranked at or near the top for salmonella among the 10 states that the CDC reviews for its annual FoodNet survey of food-borne illness.

"It would be great if we could understand it," said Dr. Melissa Tobin-D'Angelo, a state epidemiologist, told the AJC.

The agency, in a written statement to the AJC, suggested that the numbers may reflect better testing and reporting rather than an actual increase.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which polices animal-based foods, revised its performance standards for processing chickens and turkeys in 2011. The FDA has also expanded its sampling of raw poultry products.

Despite such efforts, salmonella won't be easy to defeat, said Olga Henao, a CDC researcher on food-borne illnesses. There are 2,500 types of the pathogen, which can be transmitted through numerous farm-raised animals, reptiles, processed food and raw produce.

The nation as a whole may look better than Georgia, but that's scant comfort, Henao said. "Overall we've seen very little change," she said, "and that's very concerning."