This presentation will cover findings from a recent publication on the burden or health impact of foodborne illness in Ontario.
As part of an effort by the Environmental and Occupational Health team at Public Health Ontario (PHO) to estimate the environmental burden of disease for the province, we gauged the annual number of deaths and contacts with the healthcare system in Ontario due to exposure to pathogens and toxic substances in food.
The estimated burden of foodborne illness was largely due to gastrointestinal illness with an unknown responsible agent. Much of our understanding of enteric disease (for which food is an important transmission route) in Ontario is based on reportable disease surveillance and the identification of a causative pathogen.
This session will provide an overview of the project, present the results of our recent publication and highlight opportunities for improving our understanding of foodborne illness in Ontario, as well as the implications for policy and practice.