Person-to-Person Spread of Acute Gastroenteritis

Data from a relatively new national surveillance system reveal that many outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis are spread person to person.

About 179 million episodes of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) occur each year in the U.S. Data on water- and food-borne AGE outbreaks have been collected for decades. Starting in 2009, the CDC established the Web-based, voluntary National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) to support the reporting of all AGE outbreaks, including those transmitted by direct person-to-person (P-to-P) contact.

NORS received reports of 2259 P-to-P AGE outbreaks in 2009–2010 (81,491 cases, 1339 hospitalizations, 136 deaths). Among the 1419 outbreaks (63%) with at least one suspected or confirmed etiology, norovirus was implicated most often (56% of all reported outbreaks), followed by Shigella (4%) and “other/multiple etiologies” including Salmonella, rotavirus, and Sh…

Reviewing Author

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsMedical Letter

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsMedical Letter