disease information
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Campylobacteriosis |
Campylobacteriosis is one of the most common infectious diseases causing diarrhea in the United States. Most human illness is caused by one strain of the bacteria called Campylobacter jejuni. This strain grows best at the body temperature of poultry, which often carry the bacteria without becoming ill. Many cases of campylobacteriosis are associated with handling raw poultry or eating undercooked poultry meat. It is also possible for other raw foods, such as vegetables or salad, to be contaminated if the same cutting board is used for both food items and not cleaned in between preparations. Occasionally outbreaks have been traced to drinking unpasteurized milk.
Symptoms of this disease may include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. Most individuals who get this infection recover within 5 to 10 days. Very rarely some individuals develop a disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes temporary paralysis and requires intensive care hospitalization. It has been estimated that as many as 40% of Guillian-Barre syndrome cases are triggered by Campylobacter infection.
Maine had a total of 149 cases reported in 2007. Sixty percent of the cases were male. The median age of reported cases was 48 years old. Cases were reported from all 16 counties with the highest rates in Franklin (26.7 per 100,000 population), Somerset (17.4 per 100,000 population) and Sagadahoc (16.5 per 100,000 population). No outbreaks or clusters were identified.
Campylobacteriosis tends to occur more frequently in the summer months. The incidence rate in Maine was slightly lower than the US rate. The Healthy Maine 2010 targeted goal is 8.5 cases per 100,000 population. The 2007 Maine rate of 11.3 indicates the need for increased effort in education and prevention to reach this goal.
Methods of prevention include proper cooking of poultry and other meats and avoiding untreated water, raw milk and milk products and unpasteurized juice.
Source: Reportable Infectious Diseases in Maine: 2007 Summary