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FoodCORE Center: Minnesota

state map of Minnesota

Program Overview

The Minnesota FoodCORE program was established by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) in 2014 to improve response to foodborne outbreaks in Minnesota by enhancing epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental health capacity.

Image Josh Rounds, Epidemiologist

“FoodCORE has further increased our capacity to investigate foodborne disease outbreaks by improving our ability to rapidly combine laboratory, environmental health, and epidemiologic data.”

Josh Rounds, Epidemiologist

At A Glance

Year joined FoodCORE: 2014
Population: 5.4 M1
Structure: Centralized
Number of local and tribal health departments: 85

Epidemiology:

  • Hired additional University of Minnesota School of Public Health students for Team Diarrhea
  • Increased capacity to investigate outbreaks and clusters

Laboratory:

  • Increased capacity for DNA fingerprinting (PFGE and whole genome sequencing)
  • Maintained a courier service to deliver specimens to state laboratory

Environmental Health

  • Conducted trainings for state and local environmental health staff on outbreak investigation methods
  • Conduct environmental health assessments for all foodborne outbreaks

12015 Population Estimate https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/

Program Highlight

In 2015, the Minnesota FoodCORE program hired students to assist with surveillance interviews and outbreak investigations. MDH investigated 60 foodborne outbreaks that resulted in over 700 illnesses. Thirty (50%) outbreaks were caused by norovirus or suspected norovirus, eleven (18%) by Salmonella, and six (10%) by Shiga toxin producing E. coli. An environmental health assessment was performed in all 53 (88%) foodborne outbreaks that occurred at a licensed facility, and laboratory specimens were collected in 58 (97%) foodborne outbreaks.

Percentage of People with Salmonella Infections Interviewed by Year*, Minnesota 2011-2015**

Percentage of People with Salmonella Infections Interviewed by Year*, Minnesota, 2011 - 2015**. Data- 2011: 91, 638, 701, 91.01% | 2012: 91, 707, 780, 90.64% | 2013: 88, 711, 811, 87.67% | 2014: 85, 614, 722, 85.04% | 2015: 89, 875, 973, 89.93%. * Total number of Salmonella infections by year: 2011 (n=701), 2012 (n=780), 2013 (n=811), 2014 (n=722), 2015 (n=973). ** Minnesota became a FoodCORE site in September 2014. This figure shows a bar graph that compares the percentage of people with Salmonella infections interviewed in Minnesota from 2011 to 2015. The height of each bar on the graph represents the percentage of people with Salmonella infections who were interviewed. Overall, the percentage of people interviewed has remained about the same over these five years, meaning the Minnesota FoodCORE center is consistent with their interviewing of cases. In 2011, 91% of people with Salmonella infections were interviewed. In 2012, 91% of people were interviewed. In 2013, 88% were interviewed. In 2014, 85% people were interviewed. And most recently in 2015, 89% were interviewed.

* Total number of Salmonella infections by year: 2011 (n=701), 2012 (n=780), 2013 (n=811), 2014 (n=722), 2015 (n=973)

** Minnesota became a FoodCORE site in September 2014

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