Researchers say E. coli food poisonings are costing $244
million a year.
The study was prepared before the XL Foods Inc. crisis which
has resulted in the largest food recall in Canadian history, has disrupted the
entire Canadian beef supply chain and the food poisoning of at least 15 people.
The researchers used data compiled by the National
Notifiable Disease Registry to estimate the direct costs to the Canadian health
care system and the indirect costs to society from lost productivity and
premature deaths.
The Long-term Health Study from 2002 to 2008 tracked
outcomes from the E. coli 0157:H7 poisoning of Walkerton residents whose
drinking was contaminated.
According to the model the researchers developed, more than
23.300 Canadians suffer E. coli food poisoning every year, most of them from E.
coli 1057:H7 and most of that from cattle.
The report says about half of Canadian beef cattle are
carrying E. coli 0157, but also says farmers could greatly reduce that
incidence through vaccination.
