S. Carolina Agency Slammed, Foodborne Illnesses Rate Declines

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The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has been slammed for refusing to the name of a Spartanburg Mexican restaurant implicated in a recent outbreak of Escherichia coli.

Eleven cases of E. coli infection have been reported to be associated with the establishment and are the subjects of investigation by the DHEC. The health agency has confirmed that two of the cases have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is often characterized by kidney failure.

Because proper food handling is critical to food safety, many restaurant owners now require of their workers a food handler certification or a food safety certification for food managers. Still, there are far too many restaurants that do not comply with food-safety protocols, judging from the current frequency of foodborne illnesses.

DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick has reassured consumers that there is no current health risk, adding that the unnamed restaurant has scored 96 out of 100 upon inspection.

“When it comes to balancing business interests with the public’s health, we’re always going to make a decision based on what’s in the best interest of the health of our citizens,” DHEC director Catherine Templeton explained in a statement. “If we had any reason to believe there was ongoing transmission of disease or a current public health threat, we would readily disclose more information about the restaurant associated with the disease outbreak investigation.”

The nondisclosure has hurt other restaurants in the area with owners saying that business is lagging. "It’s not fair," one owner said in an interview with usfoodsafety.com. "I think [DHEC] needs to release the name of the restaurant to the public. I don’t want to see anyone’s business hurt, but it’s better than all of us suffering."

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Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this May the results of a recent CDC study which revealed that the overall incidence of six common foodborne pathogens was 23 percent lower in 2010 than in the years 1996 to 1998.

"The big picture is that we have seen declines in foodborne illness, but there is still more that can be done to further drive down the incidence of these infections," declared Olga Henao, leader of the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network Team at the CDC.

Still, the CDC study noted that the rate of foodborne illness was not much lower in 2010 than in 2006, indicating that the momentum in reducing foodborne illnesses has decelerated in recent years.

"Foodborne illness continues to be a significant public health problem in the U.S. and around the world," observed Douglas Powell, a professor of food safety at Kansas State University. "For every step forward, there's a few steps back."

The six types of bacteria that figured in the findings were: Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157, Yersinia and Vibrio. The researchers pointed out that at least half of illnesses caused by these bacteria are transmitted by food.