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WHO: Young children account for 30% of foodborne illness-related deaths
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WHO’s first report containing global estimates on foodborne-related illnesses revealed that nearly one-third of all deaths occurred among children aged younger than 5 years.
“Until now, estimates of foodborne diseases were vague and imprecise,” Margaret Chan, MD, director-general of WHO, said in a press release. “This concealed the true human costs of contaminated food. This report sets the record straight. Knowing which foodborne pathogens are causing the biggest problems in which parts of the world can generate targeted action by the public, governments, and the food industry.”
The 268-page report compiled data related to the burden of foodborne illnesses caused by 31 exposures, including: bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals. The WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group tracked the data between 2007 and 2015.
The report determined that 10% of children and adults contract a foodborne illness annually, and 420,000 of global cases are fatal. Among those fatal cases, approximately 30% are children aged younger than 5 years.
The report also noted that while foodborne illness is a global health concern, Africa and Southeast Asia are affected the most.
According to the release, WHO is working with global governments to set and implement food safety standards. Future education and training of food producers, suppliers, handlers and the public are needed to reduce this deadly burden.
“These estimates are the result of a decade of work, including input from more than 100 experts from around the world,” Kazuaki Miyagishima, MD, PhD, director of WHO’s department of food safety and zoonoses. “They are conservative, and more needs to be done to improve the availability of data on the burden of foodborne diseases.”