Hundreds of thousands of people die worldwide from spoiled food

More than 400,000 people die every year worldwide from eating toxic or bad foods. This is reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Accordingly, especially children under five years are affected by the problem. In view of the results, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan called for a greater commitment of all nations in the area of ​​food security.
600 million people fall ill every year
Every year, according to the United Nations (United Nations, UN), approximately 420,000 people worldwide die from infections caused by contaminated food. This emerges from a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), which was presented to the public today. According to the report, up to 600 million people a year would become ill through food contaminated with chemicals, bacteria or parrots. 125,000 of the hundreds of thousands of deaths are still young children, one third of them are girls and boys under five. In Africa and Southeast Asia, food infections and intoxications are the most common, according to the WHO.

Hundreds of thousands die of rotten food. Image: jogisturtzfreq - fotolia

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan urged all states to step up their efforts in the area of ​​food security in light of the appalling results of the UN's first global long-term study (2007-2015) on food-borne diseases. "Understanding what specific food-borne pathogens in which regions of the world are the biggest problems should lead to targeted action by the public, governments and the food industry," said Chan, according to the WHO communication.

The most common reason is not enough cooked food
Diarrhea, according to the WHO, is the biggest problem with eating bad food. It is mainly caused by raw or undercooked foods such as meat, eggs, vegetables or dairy products that are contaminated with Norovirus, Campylobacter, Salmonella or E. coli are. 550,000 people are affected each year, 230,000 of them even die as a result of diarrhea.

In addition, special caution should be taken with foods that are contaminated with pathogens such as hepatitis A, typhoid fever, mold or tapeworms, WHO warns. Because even these would, according to the latest report in hundreds of thousands of people lead to serious health problems.

"These estimates are the result of a decade of work incorporating input from more than 100 experts from around the world. [...] Based on what we know today, it is clear that the global burden of food-borne diseases is significant, affecting people around the world - especially children under 5 and people in low-income areas, "said the director the WHO Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses, dr. Kazuaki Miyagishima.

Salmonella are among the most important pathogens
Also in this country there are always health problems due to spoiled food. As the Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) states, every year there are about 200,000 cases of illness in which food can be assumed as causes. Salmonella is considered to be one of the most important pathogens, but also Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica and intestinal pathogenic E. coli strains. Diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, stomach ache and fever are characteristic of a food infection, with the symptoms of fungal poisoning or certain types of fish being particularly pronounced. (No)