“WHO’s new handbook will help countries collect and analyse data to inform sustained investments in food safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the intimate links between the health of humans, animals and the planet that sustains us.

“WHO will continue to work with partners with a One Health approach to keep communities safe from foodborne disease,” he said.

Every year, 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses are reported. In 2010, 4,20,000 people died due to diseases such as salmonella and E.coli infection, a third of them children under five years of age.

This figure is estimated to increase year after year, but it is difficult to get a clear picture of the real impact foodborne diseases are having around the world.

In 2020, the World Health Assembly had adopted a new resolution mandating the WHO to monitor the global burden of foodborne and zoonotic diseases at the national, regional and international levels and to report on the global burden of foodborne diseases with up-to-date estimates.

Source: IANS