Protecting the Public Health: The Critical Importance of Cooperation Between Industry and Investigators During The Course Of An Emerging Outbreak Investigation

Over the last decade, foodborne illness outbreak surveillance has improved significantly. As a result of improved surveillance, more illnesses are being identified and more outbreaks are being investigated. In turn, with more illnesses requiring investigation, public health officials often find themselves being asked to do more with limited or finite resources. For this reason, stronger cooperation between industry and public health during an emerging outbreak investigation is more important than ever.

Although foodborne illness outbreak investigators have always demanded and expected cooperation from industry during the course of an investigation, historically the level of cooperation between public health and industry has in many cases been less than transparent and in some cases adversarial.

This presentation will borrow from 12 years of experience working through many high-profile outbreak investigations, and will focus on the critical importance (and direct advantages) to both public health and industry when key stake holders are encouraged to embrace an open, intimate and transparent relationship during the course of an emerging investigation. The presentation will also explore and compare alternate scenarios (and the negative consequences) where close cooperation does not exist.