PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It is hard to believe but the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention say that roughly 1 out of 6 Americans get sick from foodborne illness every year. That’s 48 million people.

Not all of the cases are mild. Symptoms lead to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Ninety percent of known illness is caused by only 7 “bugs” – the most common culprit being the norovirus, accounting for about 58% of annual known pathogen foodborne illnesses.

The other top 4 are salmonella, c. Perfringens, campylobacter spp., and staphylococcus aureus, the pathogen responsible for staph infections. Proper cooking and handling of food and washing hands could reduce illness. Reducing foodborne illness by just 1% would keep 500,000 Americans from getting sick each year.

Reported By Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio Medical Editor