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LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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Year : 2016 | Volume
: 4
| Issue : 2 | Page : 71-72 |
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World Health Organization releases estimates of foodborne diseases for the very first time: An opportunity for the national program managers
Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava, Prateek Saurabh Shrivastava, Jegadeesh Ramasamy
Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Date of Web Publication | 1-Jun-2016 |
Correspondence Address: Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava 3rd Floor, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Ammapettai, Thiruporur to Guduvancherry Main Road, Sembakkam Post, Kancheepuram - 603 108, Tamil Nadu India
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2347-9019.183233
How to cite this article: Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. World Health Organization releases estimates of foodborne diseases for the very first time: An opportunity for the national program managers. Int J Health Syst Disaster Manage 2016;4:71-2 |
How to cite this URL: Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. World Health Organization releases estimates of foodborne diseases for the very first time: An opportunity for the national program managers. Int J Health Syst Disaster Manage [serial online] 2016 [cited 2024 Mar 29];4:71-2. Available from: https://www.ijhsdm.org/text.asp?2016/4/2/71/183233 |
Dear Sir,
On a global scale, foodborne diseases continue to remain an important cause of public health concerns and have been acknowledged as a major hurdle in the overall socioeconomic development owing to their association with the tourism, trade, and the burden which it poses on the health care system. [1],[2] In the modern era of globalization, food supply chain is no more restricted to national borders, and thus an effective collaboration between the policy makers, producers, and community can ensure food safety. [3]
However, due to the close linkage between food safety, nutrition, and food security, consumption of unsafe food not only initiates the vicious cycle of infection and malnutrition but also result in more than two hundred diseases ranging from diarrhea to even malignancies, especially among the vulnerable sections of society. [1],[4] The findings of a recently released global report have suggested quite alarming figures that one out of every ten individuals across the world suffers from an episode of foodborne illness every year due to the intake of contaminated food, and almost 0.42 million people die as a complication of the illness, including 30% deaths in children in the under 5-year age-group. [5]
Even though the problem of foodborne diseases is universal, the African region accounts for the maximum incidence (91 million) and South-East Asia region for the maximum number of deaths (0.18 million). [5] Further, the potential risk of acquiring a foodborne illness is highest in low- and middle-income nations owing to the poor drinking water supply and sanitation standards, lower literacy levels, minimal awareness about the diseases/mode of transmission, and dearth of effective legislation or their poor implementation. [1],[2]
For the very first time, precise and comprehensive estimates about foodborne diseases and their geographical distributions have been released and it should be seen as a crucial opportunity by the national policy makers to now plan targeted strategies in an evidence-based manner, preferably in low resource settings in order to ensure rational allocation of scarce resources. [5] Implementation of specific measures can pay rich dividends, especially because it will not only reduce the incidence of foodborne diseases/mortality but also reduce the burden on the health system and average number of years spent in disability. [1],[4]
At any stage, it is extremely important that food safety should be considered as a shared responsibility, and thus all the stakeholders, namely the national governments, the food industry, and the consumers, play their part effectively. [3] In addition, there is an indispensable need to educate and train the different participants in the food chain to adhere to the preventive measures at all possible levels. [1],[3] Finally, the World Health Organization is assisting the policy makers to set food safety standards in accordance with the international safety limits and even implement food safety policies which will have a crucial role in the food safety in the long run. [1],[5]
To conclude, as foodborne diseases are associated with significant loss of human lives and sufferings, all the stakeholders should work in a concerted manner to reduce its global incidence.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References | | |
1. | |
2. | Scharff RL. State estimates for the annual cost of foodborne illness. J Food Prot 2015;78:1064-71. |
3. | Doyle MP, Erickson MC, Alali W, Cannon J, Deng X, Ortega Y, et al. The food industry′s current and future role in preventing microbial foodborne illness within the United States. Clin Infect Dis 2015;61:252-9. |
4. | Thomas MK, Murray R, Flockhart L, Pintar K, Fazil A, Nesbitt A, et al. Estimates of foodborne illness-related hospitalizations and deaths in Canada for 30 specified pathogens and unspecified agents. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2015;12:820-7. |
5. | World Health Organization. WHO Estimates of the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases. Geneva: WHO Press; 2015. |
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