South Carolina Sees 15.9% Decline in Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Since COVID

Each year, an estimated 48 million Americans suffer from foodborne illnesses. While many cases are isolated, others stem from outbreaks—when two or more people become ill from the same contaminated food or drink. These outbreaks are particularly important to track, as they often reveal systemic failures in food production, processing, or handling.

The CDC’s National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) monitors these events, collecting data on exposure settings, food sources, and the number of people affected. Unlike other CDC initiatives, which track individual foodborne illnesses , NORS focuses specifically on clusters of illness, offering a clearer view of where food safety risks concentrate.

Outbreaks tend to follow seasonal patterns. Bacterial illnesses often spike in summer, while