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Epidemiological Data

This page provides figures for human Campylobacter cases reported from diagnostic laboratories to the HPA’s local and national surveillance. It includes patients with enteric and non-enteric infections.

Campylobacter cases increased from 1989 to 2000, declined in numbers between 2000 and 2004 and have risen again since 2004.

The weekly number of cases of Campylobacter changes regularly every year with a sharp increase in the late spring (weeks 18 to 21) and then cases gradually reduce during the summer and autumn. The reason for this seasonality is not fully understood.

The changes in cases since 1989 have been broadly similar for most regions with an increase between 1987 and 2001. Some of the change between 1989 and 2008 may reflect improvements in the diagnosis and reporting over this period.

Over the 20-year period there has been a marked decline in infection in young children across most regions and an increase in cases in people over 55 years in all regions.

The cases per 100,000 population calculated using census based population data for 2005 show the highest reported rates in the South West and the lowest rates in London.