Public health implications of microbial food safety and foodborne diseases in developing countries

Public health implications of microbial food safety and foodborne diseases in developing countries F ood is one of the most important transmission routes of diseases globally due to microbial contaminations (1). Global emergence and re-emergence of foodborne pathogens have made microbio-logical safety and quality of food of public and health important (1, 2). Globally, more than 250 sources of foodborne diseases have been identified (3). Due to the increase of foodborne infectious diseases, several food quality regulations have been imposed in various countries. According to Grace, there is dearth of information regarding foodborne diseases in developing countries (4). Food contamination from microbial sources includes bacteria, protozoans, viruses, and fungi (5, 6). Consumption of food contaminated with foodborne pathogens and microbial by-products such as toxins could result in serious illnesses and economic loses (7). Currently, more than 2 million deaths occur every year in developing countries due to foodborne diseases, which are among more than 13 zoonoses implicated in over 2 billion illnesses worldwide (8). Those mostly affected are aged people, infants, children, and people with immunocompromised immune systems due to weakened immune system. It is therefore important that public health is taken into serious considerations in developing countries. In Africa, over 91 million people are affected according to recent report by the World Health Organization. It was also stated that 2.2 million children die of diarrhea every year in developing countries, while more than 600,000 children are reported to have died on yearly basis as a result of consumption of unsafe food in Southeast Asia (9). Among food implicated in foodborne diseases in developing countries are food from animal sources, fresh produce, and street-vended foods (4). Over the years, safety and quality of food produced for human consumption in developing countries continue to increase because of foodborne disease outbreaks attributed to unsafe raw food, abused temperature, poor storage infrastructures, inadequate cooking, poor personal hygiene, improper handling methods, and cross-contamination of cooked food with uncooked raw food (1, 2, 10, 11). Food production in developing countries takes place mostly at home. Home serves as breeding ground for outbreak and spread of foodborne diseases. Personal hygiene of food handlers is, therefore, important to prevent outbreaks. In a recent study, it was observed that food handlers in Ghana, West Africa, lack knowledge of appropriate temperature for holding food and do not have adequate knowledge of sources of either contamination or cross-contamination (12). It …