What is foodborne and waterborne illness?
Most foodborne and waterborne illnesses are caused by enteric (intestinal) pathogens and result in gastrointestinal illness symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Food and water can be contaminated by a variety of different bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins. People can get sick after ingesting contaminated food or water and spread these illnesses to each other through their stool. Some enteric pathogens can also be spread through contact with animals and the areas where animals live. Legionnaires’ disease is acquired by inhaling small droplets of water contaminated with Legionella bacteria and is also a waterborne illness.
Foodborne and waterborne illness reported in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) conducts ongoing surveillance of several foodborne and waterborne illnesses.
The Foodborne and Waterborne Illness 10-Year Morbidity Report gives an overview of incidence of reported foodborne and waterborne illness in Massachusetts.
| Disease | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 YTD1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amebiasis | 50 | 31 | 31 | 46 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 44 | 54 | 42 | 6 |
| Campylobacter | 1368 | 1408 | 1547 | 1726 | 1062 | 1440 | 1690 | 1662 | 1932 | 1904 | 210 |
| Cryptosporidiosis | 198 | 156 | 247 | 226 | 119 | 138 | 172 | 190 | 162 | 279 | 21 |
| Cyclospora | 23 | 25 | 33 | 211 | 24 | 37 | 38 | 97 | 84 | 74 | 0 |
| Giardia | 584 | 556 | 559 | 529 | 273 | 377 | 606 | 582 | 748 | 536 | 55 |
| Legionella | 141 | 203 | 389 | 256 | 180 | 290 | 214 | 258 | 208 | 212 | 19 |
| Listeria | 21 | 36 | 31 | 29 | 39 | 30 | 41 | 45 | 49 | 29 | 3 |
| Norovirus | 492 | 409 | 508 | 529 | 366 | 310 | 679 | 1254 | 2128 | 3117 | 557 |
| Salmonella | 1198 | 1168 | 1244 | 1129 | 718 | 901 | 1106 | 1208 | 1245 | 1128 | 109 |
| Shiga toxin-producing E. coli | 140 | 159 | 182 | 179 | 127 | 177 | 199 | 227 | 347 | 442 | 56 |
| Shigella | 183 | 186 | 206 | 257 | 120 | 162 | 256 | 303 | 396 | 411 | 67 |
| Vibrio | 65 | 72 | 82 | 91 | 62 | 108 | 103 | 99 | 126 | 117 | 9 |
| Yersiniosis | 46 | 36 | 51 | 87 | 59 | 90 | 118 | 134 | 184 | 192 | 24 |
1Data are current as of 03/02/2026 and include year-to-date (YTD) case counts through 03/02/2026. Data are preliminary and subject to change.
Confirmed and probable cases are included for Amebiasis, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia, Legionella, Listeria, Norovirus, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli includes confirmed, probable, and suspect cases.
Foodborne outbreaks investigated in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) works with local boards of health to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks.
The Foodborne Illness Outbreak Report provides an overview of reportable foodborne diseases, whole genome sequencing clusters, and foodborne outbreaks investigated by year.