The Centers on Disease Control & Prevention today (4/10/08) held a telephone press conference to mark the release of "Preliminary FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food – 10 States, United States, 2007" which is also being published in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Dr. Robert Tauxe, Deputy Director, CDC Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, said that after marking declining trends for food borne diseases after FoodNet was established in 1996, more recent data–including that for 2007–is not showing progress.

"The lines go up and the lines go down," Dr. Tauxe said.  "We cannot say we’ve made significant progress in the last few years.

FoodNet monitors every diagnosis of a major food borne illness in each of ten states and then projects on the population to spot trends.

FoodNet has picked up on a signficant increase in cyptosoridium that Dr Tauxe says may be partially due to a better lab test and treatment for the parasite.

Here’s the preliminary data from FoodNet for 2007 from the MMWR;  Go here for the real thing.