Despite efforts to reduce the presence of dangerous pathogens in Canadian food and water, Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Yersinia, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia,Norovirus, Rotavirus and others continue to cause enteric disease in Canada .
Several factors point to the importance of infectious enteric disease surveillance:
each year, there are roughly 1.3 cases of enteric disease per capita in Canada, costing an average of $115 per capita1. This roughly translates to a $50 billion burden on Canada's economy every year
In industrialized countries, an estimated 15% to 30% of people with a case of enteric disease consult a physician. 3 In Canada , an estimated 20% of enteric cases consult a physicain 1.
In Ontario , about 1 in 313 cases of enteric disease are reported to the province through passive disease notification surveillance. 1
The majority of cases of enteric disease are mild and require only a day or two of reduced activities; however, these cases pose a significant burden due to lost productivity and other related costs . Other cases are severe and can result in hospitalization, serious chronic conditions or death.
Traditional passive surveillance systems have resulted in the under-reporting
of enteric disease in Canada , because of their reliance on physicians,
laboratories and others to submit case information through provincial and
national reporting chains. As evidenced by a recent report of the National
Studies on Acute Gastrointestinal Illness (NSAGI) group of the Public Health
Agency of Canada, only 1 of 313 cases of enteric disease was reported to
the Province of Ontario .
C-EnterNet's comprehensive, integrated and systematic surveillance framework will improve reporting from the laboratory level, and from below the laboratory level, through episodic surveillance activities. This work is important