Sentinel Surveillance-Based Epidemiological Analysis of Foodborne Diseases in Shengsi County, China, 2019–2024

Jiayi Chen,1,* Xinyu Liu,2,* Hongtao Wang,1,* Ying Su,3 Ruijing Bao,4 Lanxin Ma,4 Hangjie Zhang5,6 1Department of Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease, Shengsi County Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Center for General Practice Medicine, Department of Research Administration, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Life Science and Agriculture Forestry, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 6Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hangjie Zhang, Department of Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Globally, foodborne diseases (FBDs) pose a significant public health burden, particularly in coastal regions where seafood consumption is high. Therefore, continuous surveillance is essential to detect shifts in pathogen profiles.Purpose: We analyzed the epidemiological characteristics and temporal dynamics of pathogen profiles in patients with FBD in Shengsi County, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, China.Patients and Methods: A descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on FBD cases that occurred between 2019 and 2024 and were reported by sentinel surveillance hospitals in Shengsi County through the China Foodborne Disease Surveillance and Reporting System.Results: A total of 2173 cases were analyzed, with an average of 362 cases occurring per year. Cases were primarily in adults aged ≥ 19 years (68.20%), with peak incidence occurring in the summer (38.93%). Marine animals and their products were the main suspected food category (34.74%), and the primary food consumption setting was the household (76.44%). Vibrio parahaemolyticus was the predominant pathogen observed throughout the study period, with annual positivity rates ranging from 5.93% to 13.48%. Notably, Salmonella cases surged to 9.32% in 2024, compared to 0– 1.09% between 2019 and 2023. The proportion of febrile cases also increased in 2024 (34.10%), coinciding with the rise in Salmonella infections.Conclusion: FBDs in Shengsi County exhibited distinct seasonal and household-related patterns. While V. parahaemolyticus remains endemic, the sharp increase of Salmonella cases in 2024 warrants heightened vigilance. Future efforts should focus on the safety of marine food products and household kitchen hygiene, alongside sustained surveillance to detect dynamic pathogen shifts.Keywords: foodborne diseases, epidemiology, pathogen surveillance, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella