Current Status of Food Borne Disease

Current Status of Food Borne Disease
Food borne disease has emerged as an important and growing public health and economic problem is many countries during the last two decades.

Frequent outbreaks caused by new pathogens, the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry and the transfer of antibiotic resistance to human, as well as the ongoing concerns about bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE) are just a few examples.

Countries with reporting systems have documented significant increases in the incidence (number of cases) of food borne disease during the two decades.

It is estimated that, each year, food borne disease causes approximately 76 million illnesses, 325000 hospitalizations, 5000 deaths in the US and 2366000 cases, 21138 hospitalizations, 718 deaths in England and Wales.

Contamination of food may occur through environmental pollution of the air, water and soil, such as the case with toxic metal, polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins.

Other chemicals hazards, such as naturally occurring toxicants, may arise at various points during food production, harvest, processing and preparations.

The contamination of food by chemical hazards is generally well controlled in certain countries although such hazards remain a public health concern to many consumers.

The safe use of various chemicals such as food additives, pesticides, veterinary drugs and other agro-chemicals is also largely assured by proper regulation, enforcement and monitoring.

However, sporadic problem with chemical hazards continue to occur pointing to the need for constant vigilance with regards to both the levels of chemicals in the diets as well as their potential to cause health effects in the population.
Current Status of Food Borne Disease

Bacteria in General

Bacteria in General
Bacteria are single celled organisms that can cause foodborne illness in two ways

1. They can infect foods themselves, by their presence in the food as they feed on it
2. They can produced toxins, which can make food hazardous, as they breakdown. Bacteria, under good condition, can grow and divide quickly – each cell dividing into two approximately every 20 minutes.
   

Good conditions for bacterial growth require

• Food – especially high protein

• Acidity – neutral to low acid

• Temperatures –especially 40 – 140 degree F, ideal temperature is 90 to 100 degree F about body temperature

• Oxygen

• Moisture

When one or more of these six factor is present in a food product, creating the conditions for bacterial growth, that food product is a potentially hazardous food. Potential hazardous foods therefore include meats; poultry; fish; soy-based foods; eggs; milk and milk products; cooked pasta, rice, potatoes, or beans; garlic oil mixture; raw fruits and vegetables; and raw seeds and sprouts. Some of these items surprise many people – it’s not the mayonnaise that is the problem on a buffet; rather, it is the moisture content and low acidity of the items that are put into mayonnaise – potatoes, pasta, beans, etc. Some bacteria even produce spores that don’t reproduce but can survive heating and cooling so that as conditions improve the spore’s bacteria can become active again.
Bacteria in General