Foodborne Illness Outbreak Surveillance in Washington
The Foodborne, Waterborne, and Enteric Disease Program works with state, local and federal partners to prevent and control enteric illnesses caused by consuming contaminated food or water, person-to-person contact, or contact with animals or their environment.
What we do
- Monitor levels of foodborne, waterborne and enteric diseases in Washington
- Prevent disease through public health efforts and education
- Investigate and monitor illness clusters and outbreaks to remove contaminated food products and prevent the further illness spread
- Assist local health jurisdictions with case interviews, outbreak investigations, epidemiological studies, and consultation as requested
- Collaborate with Environmental Public Health Food Safety partners for food recalls, restaurant inspections, and outbreak response
- Coordinate clinical, food, and water sample testing with WA Public Health Lab (WA PHL)
- Perform data analysis to determine disease burden and trends over time
- Communicate with the public to empower individuals to make informed decisions about food safety
Our partners
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- WA State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)
- WA Department of Health Food Safety Program
Conditions we investigate
- Amebic meningitis (waterborne)
- Botulism (foodborne)
- Campylobacteriosis
- Cholera
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Cyclosporiasis
- Giardiasis
- Hepatitis A (foodborne)
- Listeriosis
- Salmonellosis
- Shellfish Poisoning (Paralytic, Domoic Acid or Diarrhetic)
- Shiga-toxin Producing E. coli Infection
- Shigellosis
- Taeniasis/Cysticercosis
- Trichinosis
- Typhoid Fever
- Vibriosis
- Yersiniosis
- Norovirus Outbreaks
- Foodborne Outbreaks
- Waterborne Outbreaks
WA Food Safety Center of Excellence
The WA Food Safety Center of Excellence is a partnership between Washington DOH and the University of Washington that works to provide education, training, and resources for public health professionals that investigate foodborne outbreaks.
To learn more, visit the Washington Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence (uw.edu) webpage.
Outbreak Response and Collaborative Action (ORCA) Team
Established in 2016, the ORCA Team is a communicable disease investigator team at the Washington State Department of Health composed of several graduate students from the University of Washington School of Public Health. ORCAs are trained to conduct case investigations for all foodborne and enteric diseases, Lyme disease, coccidioidomycosis, and arboviral diseases.
For more information, email: foodborne-epi@doh.wa.gov.
Resources
- Foodborne Outbreaks
- Food Recalls and Safety Alerts
Contact us
Email the Foodborne program for more information (foodborne-epi@doh.wa.gov).
Washington residents or healthcare providers should contact their local health jurisdictions for assistance.