by jadegil6 » Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:40 am
The CDC estimates that over 1 million cases occur annually in the United States, according to a 2011 report. Of these cases, approximately 20,000 result in hospitalization and 378 result in death. This means that Salmonella accounts for almost 30 percent of foodborne illness-related deaths each year. The US has good health care, but the majority of the world's population does not have access to the same quality of health care that we in North America have. So the death rate is much higher in other parts of the world which are commonly referred to as Third World Countries.
Although laboratory-based surveillance provides useful trend information, it underestimates disease burden. To be ascertained in a laboratory-based surveillance system, an ill person must seek medical care, submit a specimen (usually stool), the laboratory must test for the pathogen and report a positive finding, and the laboratory-confirmed infection must be ascertained by public health authorities. Therefore, cases in laboratory-based surveillance represent a fraction of the total community cases However, global estimates are difficult to calculate because many countries, particularly developing countries, have insufficient surveillance data.
Overall, the Worlh Health Organization estimates that 93,757,000 cases of gastroenteritis due to nontyphoidal Salmonella occur annually, The estimated annual number of deaths from Salmonella causes 155,000 deaths worldwide, with the majority of mortality occuring in chidren of 5 years of age or younger and the elderly, and occuring in countries with low levels of per capita income.
(Ekdahl K, de Jong B, Wollin R, Andersson Y. Travel-associated non-typhoidal salmonellosis: geographical and seasonal differences and serotype distribution. Clin Microbiol Infect 2005;11(2):138-144.)
Once infected, salmonellosis harbors a significant morbidity and mortality. One third of untreated patients experience complications and account for three fourths of deaths associated with salmonellosis... (Chambers HF. McPhee SJ, Papadakis MA, Tierney LM, eds. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment. 47th ed. McGraw-Hill Co; 2008:1250-1252)