Microbiological Risk Assessment for Norovirus Infection - Contribution to the Overall Burden Afforded by Foodborne Infections

Noroviruses (NV) are a highly infectious group of viruses and a significant cause of gastroenteritis epidemics in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. A considerable number of infections occur through norovirus transmission by contaminated food and person-to-person contact.
However, significant data gaps make it difficult to assess the relative importance of the different norovirus transmission routes.
<p>Consequently, the significance of foodborne transmission to overall NV disease incidence is poorly understood.

<p>This project therefore assessed the feasibility of conducting a quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) aimed at establishing the contribution made by the food chain to the total incidence of NV disease.
<p>Once the role of foodborne transmission to overall NV disease incidence is understood, public health interventions can be better focused towards tackling critical points in disease transmission, thereby reducing the number of cases of NV disease.
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The final report, "<a href="http://www.foodbase.org.uk/results.php?f_report_id=184&quot; target="_new">Microbiological Risk Assessment for NLV Infection - Contribution to the Overall Burden Afforded by Foodborne Infections</a>" is available at Foodbase, an open access repository of the <acronym title="Food Standards Agency">FSA</acronym>.<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/&quot; target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.