By Juliet Jacob Ochenje
To World Health Organisation (WHO) has disclosed that foodborne illnesses affect 91 million people in Africa yearly.
It also added that nutrition and food security are inextricably linked.
An estimated 600 million people, almost 1 in 10 people in the world, fall ill after eating contaminated food, resulting in the loss of 33 million daily, WHO said in its official Twitter handle @WHO, on Wednesday.
According to the organisation, reports on the economic burden of foodborne diseases indicated that the total productivity loss associated with it in low- and middle-income countries was estimated at US$ 95.2 billion per year, and the annual cost of treating foodborne illnesses estimated at US$ 15 billion.
It added that children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.
WHO said, “Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances causes more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. It also creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick.”
It, therefore, called for collaboration between governments, producers and consumers to help ensure food safety and stronger food systems.
Foodborne illnesses are usually infectious or toxic in nature and caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances entering the body through contaminated food.
