Surveillance of foodborne diseases: what are the options?

Epidemiological data are needed for a variety of reasons, namely, informing public health authorities about the nature and magnitude of foodborne illnesses and their epidemiology, for the early detection of foodborne disease outbreaks, and for the planning, implementation and evaluation of food safety programmes. Thus, epidemiological surveillance of foodborne diseases is fundamental to any food safety programme. Various methods of foodborne surveillance may be utilized: (i) records for registration of deaths and hospital discharges; (ii) disease notification, (iii) sentinel surveillance, (iv) laboratory surveillance, (v) outbreak investigation and (vi) epidemiological research. This article reviews each method, its advantages and disadvantages, and its relevance for meeting the various objectives and needs.