What is a foodborne outbreak?
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Confirmed foodborne outbreaks
A confirmed foodborne outbreak is defined as a foodborne illness incident where two or more individuals encounter a similar sickness after consuming the same food, meal or drink, and the investigation indicates that the food, meal, or drink is the origin of the illness. These outbreaks can be confirmed with or without laboratory confirmation.
Probable Foodborne Outbreaks
A probable foodborne outbreak is defined as a foodborne illness incident where two or more individuals experience a similar sickness after consuming the same food, meal or drink, and a specific food, meal, or drink is suspected. However, it is important to note that the possibility of person-to-person transmission or other types of exposures cannot be definitively excluded.
Confirmed outbreaks can be categorized as follows:
Laboratory-Confirmed Agent: These are outbreaks where laboratory testing provides evidence of a specific causative agent.
Epidemiologically Defined Agent: These outbreaks are identified based on clinical and epidemiological evidence, which points to a likely causative agent, even though laboratory confirmation is not obtained.
Outbreak of Undetermined Etiology: In these outbreaks, laboratory confirmation is unavailable, and the clinical and epidemiological evidence fails to establish a probable causative agent.
