Foodborne Disease and Gastroenteritis Outbreaks

If you think you got sick from eating a certain food, contact your local health department.

It is estimated that 48 million people get sick and 128,000 are hospitalized from foodborne disease in the U.S. each year. Common symptoms of foodborne illness are diarrhea or vomiting (gastroenteritis). Noroviruses are the most common cause. Public Health Division staff investigate foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks and work with local health departments to notify people when outbreaks occur.

Food Safety Tips Food Safety Alerts

For Partners

Investigative Guidelines and Tools

Oregon Data

Lab Samples

Submitting samples to the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL)

Remember to call the OHA epidemiologist assigned to the investigation before submitting food or clinical specimens to OSPHL.

Instructions for Collecting Stools for Viral Culture and PCR:
- Mandatory Shipping Labels (pdf)
- Stool Collection Instructions (pdf)
Virology/Immunology Request
General Microbiology Request

Related Topics

Food Safety Center of Excellence

Oregon FOMES (Northwest Center for Foodborne Outbreak Management, Epidemiology and Surveillance) is one of CDC's six Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence.