Results from the National Gastroenteritis Survey 2001 – 2002

Abstract

Infectious gastroenteritis is caused by a heterogeneous mix of pathogens and is acquired by several different routes of transmission. Enteric pathogens can be foodborne or waterborne, or can be passed on by person-to-person or animal-to-person contact, or from the environment. Due to different environmental conditions and pathogens in various parts of Australia, variations in the pattern of gastroenteritis are to be expected across the country and at different times of the year. The transmission of gastroenteritis through food is of concern to both the community and to industry and there is an expectation that foodborne illness is kept to a minimum. However, despite this high public expectation, there are many aspects of foodborne illness which have not been well understood, including the amount of gastroenteritis caused by food in Australia. Previous estimates of the total amount of foodborne disease in the 1990s varied from 1-2 million to 4.2 million cases per annum.