The global burden of foodborne parasitic diseases: an update

Paul R Torgerson; Nilanthi R de Silva; Eric M Fèvre; Fumiko Kasuga; Mohammad B Rokni; Xiao-Nong Zhou; Banchob Sripa; Neyla Gargouri; Arve Lee Willingham; Claudia Stein

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2013.11.002

The global burden of foodborne parasitic diseases: an update

Trends Parasitol. 2014 Jan;30(1):20-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.11.002. Epub 2013 Dec 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Section of Veterinary Epidemiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: paul.torgerson@access.uzh.ch.
² Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, PO Box 6, Ragama, Sri Lanka.
³ Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, CH64 7TE, UK; International Livestock Research Institute, PO Box 30709-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁴ Division of Safety Information on Drug, Food, and Chemicals, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
⁵ Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 207 Rui Jin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, People's Republic of China.
⁷ Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
⁸ Head of Surveillance, Ministry of Health, PO Box 5701, Amman, Jordan.
⁹ WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training on Neglected and Other Parasitic Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Parasitology, and Aquatic Diseases, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 57, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; School of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St Kitts, West Indies.
¹⁰ Division of Information, Evidence, Research, and Innovation, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, UN City Marmorvej, 512100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

PMID: 24314578
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.11.002

Abstract

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the human population. Accurate information on the burden of FBDs is needed to inform policy makers and allocate appropriate resources for food safety control and intervention. Consequently, in 2006 the WHO launched an initiative to estimate the global burden of FBDs in terms of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). This review gives an update of the progress on evaluating the burden of foodborne parasitic diseases that has been generated by this study. Results to date indicate that parasitic diseases that can be transmitted through food make a substantial contribution to the global burden of disease.

Keywords: DALYs; epidemiology; foodborne diseases; global burden.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Food Parasitology / trends*
Global Health*
Humans
Parasitic Diseases / epidemiology*
Parasitic Diseases / prevention & control