137,000 Deaths In Africa Are Caused By Consumption Of Contaminated Food

The weekend is here and usually, most of us can’t wait to have all manner of fun including going out, attending parties and weddings, hangouts with friends and family and while at it, visit some eatery joints to appreciate your body for working hard all week.

But as we eat and have fun, at home or whichever place, are we eating fresh healthy food? Sadly, most times we are not aware we are eating contaminated food until hours later when we start having ghastly wrenching sensations in our stomachs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that approximately 91 million people in Africa fall ill from consuming contaminated food and 137,000 die for the same reason, and the most vulnerable are children under the age of five years.

In fact, it’s considered a major public health problem, right below tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV.

The risks include dangerous strains of bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, as well as tapeworm and other parasites, and naturally occurring toxins like cyanide.

Food contamination crisis costs the affected countries, most of which are middle-income countries, an estimated 92.5 billion dollars in terms of productivity and 15 billion dollars for medication costs.

WHO warned that there is a need to adapt food control systems to meet changing needs for better protection of public health.

During the 23^rd Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa session that was recently held, WHO representative to Kenya, Rudi Eggers called on nations to strengthen measures to improve food safety.

Codex is an acronym referring to Food Law that governs the development of food standards at the international level.

Compliance with Codex would mean that food is being produced according to set standards to ensure its quality, safety, nutritional value and as a result, protection of human health.

Kenya has so far adopted more than 200 Codex standards, even as WHO notes that food safety has become a more important topic because of its significance both economically and health-wise.

Usually, food can become contaminated at any point of production and distribution and the primary responsibility falls on the producers, yet most contaminated food incidences we often encounter are caused by food prepared at home, food joint, events, and markets.

This means proper food handling is important at every stage, from production to its preparation at home and all of us have the responsibility to protect not only our own health but that of the wider community.

Policymakers can build and maintain adequate food systems and infrastructures such as laboratories to respond to and manage food safety risks along the entire food chain, including during emergencies and foster multi-sectoral collaboration among public health, animal health, agriculture and other sectors for better communication and joint action.

For food handlers, whether at home and at food joints should beware of the foods they use. It is important to read labels on food packages and get to familiarize ourselves with common food hazards, not forgetting to observe hygiene.

Also, it is important to note that improving food safety isn’t just important for reducing the risk of illness, but also essential in confronting the broader issue of hunger.

According to the United Nations (UN), Africa remains the continent with the world’s highest rate of undernourishment, affecting one in every five people, 256 million in total.