This classification serves as a surveillance concept within national notification frameworks, designated as a registry label for the investigation of health events linked to food consumption [1]. Surveillance data captures reported outbreaks involving implicated foods, which may include novel vehicles emerging from changing consumption trends or evolving pathogens [3]. The concept encompasses events where specific pathogens survive environmental stress and transmit along the food chain, potentially increasing the burden on public health situations [4].
Disease overview
BacterialFoodborne disease outbreak
食源性疾病暴发
Evidence-backed informationEN 1/6 applicable sections · ZH 1/6 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Foodborne disease outbreaks function as a surveillance concept within national notification systems, specifically recorded as a registry label for the investigation of health events [1]. Although common and notifiable in regions such as South Africa, these events are often underreported and poorly investigated, resulting in suboptimal data for public health action [2]. Surveillance systems identify outbreaks involving implicated foods, including novel vehicles that may lead to larger scales of illness, hospitalizations, and deaths across multiple jurisdictions [3]. Furthermore, specific pathogens like Cronobacter sakazakii contribute to the overall burden when transmitted through contaminated food sources [4].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile2
- 1Brazil Ministry of Health SINAN. SINAN registry entity: Foodborne disease outbreak [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/composicao/svsa/sistemas-de-informacao/sinan
- 2Ntshoe G et al. A systematic review on mobile health applications for foodborne disease outbreak management. BMC Public Health. 2021 Dec 8. PMID: 34876067. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-12283-6.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34876067/
- 3Whitham HK et al. Novel Outbreak-Associated Food Vehicles, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Oct. PMID: 34545783. doi: 10.3201/eid2710.204080.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34545783/
- 4Mazi IM et al. Foodborne pathogens in Africa: Understanding Cronobacter sakazakii. Public Health Chall. 2023 Mar. PMID: 40496952. doi: 10.1002/puh2.53.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40496952/
- A05
Coverage
Reporting countries and regions
Trends by reporting country
Monthly patterns over time
Research Radar
Recent related research
Explainable machine learning framework for foodborne disease outbreak prediction in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia: case study
Frontiers in Public Health
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes2
Brazil DATASUS SINAN
Brazil
Brazil Ministry of Health DATASUS/SINAN public DBC microdata aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
Hong Kong, China CHP Notifiable Diseases
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China CHP annual notifiable infectious disease CSVs normalized to national monthly totals