Description

More than 32,000 cases of cyclosporiasis, a disease transmitted by parasites on contaminated produce, have been reported in the U.S. this year. Eggs and jalapeño peppers contaminated with salmonella and blueberries and sprouts contaminated with E.coli made several hundred people ill this summer. Foodborne illness is a serious public health problem in the U.S. causing an estimated 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year. This panel will explore the epidemiology of foodborne illnesses, including transmission, risk factors, symptoms, treatments and health outcomes; the legal structure of measures to prevent outbreaks in Georgia; and the regulatory reforms necessary to strengthen the food safety system and prepare for the next outbreak.

Speakers

Robert Tauxe

Former Director

Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Garrett Hollis

Chief Legal Counsel

Georgia State Department of Agriculture

Timothy Lytton

Regents’ Professor and Professor of Law

Georgia State University College of Law

Author of "Outbreak: Foodborne Illness and the Struggle for Food Safety"