A collaborative meeting between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) last month released a summary report declaring that the three leading causes of foodborne illness are human norovirus, followed by hepatitis A and hepatitis E. 1
According to the expert committee that conducted the evaluation, both hepatitis species ranked the same but higher in clinical severity than norovirus.
At the request of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) meeting, the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened an expert meeting on microbial risk assessment of viruses in food from September 18 to 22 in Rome, Italy. 53rd Session in 2022. The summary report was released earlier this month.
The expert committee measures rankings based on 4 factors, including:
1) Review the literature and available surveillance databases and engage in expert knowledge acquisition to rank foodborne viruses according to frequency and severity;
2) Rank related food products with the highest public health concern;
3) Discusses viral testing methods for outbreak investigation and product testing as part of surveillance and surveillance strategies; and
4) Current and potential indicators of viral contamination are reviewed.
The committee noted that water used for drinking water is not within the scope of its work and that water relevant to the spread of the virus is considered only water used in food production, processing and preparation; used as ingredients and as a vector for food contamination; where water is not the final product consumed .
what you should know
The conference identified three main causes of foodborne illness. They are human norovirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis E. While norovirus is the most common, hepatitis A and hepatitis E are considered equally important but rank higher in terms of clinical severity.
The expert committee used a comprehensive approach to rank these viruses and related foods. They reviewed the literature, participated in expert knowledge acquisition, discussed viral detection methods, and reviewed potential indicators of viral contamination. They are ranked based on frequency and severity.
The meeting highlighted the global importance of foodborne illness. In the United States alone, foodborne illness occurs frequently, affecting millions of people each year.
The seriousness of foodborne illness and when to seek medical care
Foodborne illness is very common in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in six Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses each year in the United States.2
In terms of symptoms, foodborne illness can cause a gastrointestinal infection with symptoms including diarrhea and/or vomiting that can last from 1 to 7 days. Other symptoms may include abdominal cramping, nausea, fever, joint/back pain, and fatigue. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments for these leading causes of foodborne illness.2
The CDC recommends calling your health care provider if you experience the following severe symptoms:
- Diarrhea and fever over 102°F
- Diarrhea that has not improved for more than three days
- bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting so much that you can’t keep fluids down, which can lead to dehydration
- Dehydration, resulting in symptoms such as dry mouth and throat, dizziness when standing, and inability to urinate much
committee recommendations
The United States has federal agencies that try to prevent foodborne illness and have protocols in place to educate the public about outbreaks. In low- and middle-income countries, these protocols may not prevent further outbreaks.
“Member States consider capacity building to support training and adoption of these methods to detect viruses in food and the environment. This approach has the potential to enhance understanding of food attribution, support risk analysis, and mitigate viral foodborne illness globally burden. Appropriate global action will help mitigate the expected increase in public health risks from viral foodborne diseases resulting from population growth, the climate crisis and the globalization of food supply chains,” the report authors wrote.
The full report will be released later.
refer to
1. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment of Food Viruses – Part 1: Food attributes, analytical methods and indicators. Quinn. September 18, 2023. Accessed 24 October 2023. https://www.fao.org/3/cc8193en/cc8193en.pdf
2. Simple facts about food poisoning. CDC. Last reviewed on March 24, 2023. Accessed October 24, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/food-poisoning.html