Epidemiological characteristics of food poisoning in China, the first quarter, 2018

Objective To understand epidemiological characteristics of food poisoning in China and provide evidence for the early warning,prevention and control of food poisoning. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted by using the food poisoning data during the first quarter,2018 collected from National Management Information System of Public Health Emergencies. Results A total of 38 food poisoning events were reported in 16 provinces during this period, involving 1 035 cases and 19 deaths. The event number reported in rural area accounted for 78.95% of the total. The first 3 provinces reporting high event numbers were Yunnan,Guangxi,and Sichuan. The numbers of plant/herbal poisoning events,related cases and deaths accounted for 44.74%,22.32% and 52.63% of the total,respectively. The numbers of the bacterial food poisoning events,related cases and deaths accounted for 28.95%,56.33% and 0 of the total,respectively. The numbers of food poisoning events and related cases in canteens accounted for 31.58% and 36.62% of the total, respectively. The numbers of food poisoning events and related cases in food service unit accounted for 15.79% and 39.90% of the total,respectively. Conclusion Strengthening the supervision of canteens and food service units and improving public awareness of poisonous plants and safe use of pesticides are the main measures for the prevention and control of food poisoning.